CinderJenna: A Lesson in Being Proactive
by tohru-chan62442
Summary: Can Cinder-Jenna find the courage to take matters into her own hands?
1. Theme Song

**Well guys, we're about to get rollin'! I'm still not quite done with that last little bit yet (this class I'm taking is brutal), but I figured I'd at least give you this first chapter, since it doesn't really reveal anything anyway, just to let you know that this story is going to be underway very shortly.**

**I should also clarify that this chapter, the countertop scenes, and the Silly Song will be written in a script format, whereas the actual episode will be written as a story. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue to do that, but there was just so much description needed for this particular story that I really didn't have much choice.**

**So yeah, I hope you guys like this episode-once it actually begins, that is.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"<em>I don't know about this…" Jenna shrunk a little.<em>

"_That's about the fifth time you've said that," Petunia pointed out. "Come on, it'll be fun!"_

"_I don't know." She was uncomfortable. Singing the VeggieTales theme song with everyone? It was a little surreal._

"_It's for the kids." She pointed out._

"_Are you quoting the old theme song at me to get me to sing the new theme song?" Jenna grinned._

"_Maybe," Petunia struggled not to laugh._

_Jenna didn't, though. "Fine."_

"_Don't worry, you'll be great," Petunia squeezed her hand._

_Jenna smiled back, then remembered what she was going to ask. "Why do we sing about vegetables when the show doesn't have much to do with them?"_

_Petunia shrugged. "Larry just said it was because it was funny, especially for new parents watching it."_

_Jenna shrugged. "Fair enough, I suppose."_

"_Is everyone ready?" They heard Bob's voice over the commotion._

"_I've been ready, Bob. Can we start now? This thing is heavy." Larry complained._

"_Alright. Camera ready?" The cameraman gave a nod._

"_Action!"_

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><p>(Offstage as the opening credits slowly fade in and out)<p>

Bob: Okay, everyone, it's time for the Theme Song!

(Groans are heard)

Mr. Lunt: Come on, Bob, they know the drill by now!

Bob: You don't know that! What if this is the first time they're watching this show?

Larry: Can't I play a different instrument? I don't even like the tuba!

Bob: Oh, come on, it's funny!

Petunia: It is getting a little tiring…

Jimmy: Let's have lunch instead!

(Noises of enthusiastic agreement)

Bob: Guys!

(Everyone shuts up)

Bob: This is for the kids.

(A long silence)

Larry: Are they going to laugh at me?

Bob: Probably.

(A chorus of agreement)

Larry: (sighs) Can't say I'm not used to it.

(Larry finally emerges from offstage, tuba in tow. He smiles, though it's a bit strained, walks to the middle of the white room, and begins to play. Bob walks out from stage right.)

Bob: _**If you like to talk to tomatoes**_

(The ladies walk onto the set from stage left)

Bob and the girls: _**If a squash can make you smile**_

(With the guys appearing from stage right, the whole cast is now on the set, effectively blocking Bob as he tries to make himself seen)

Everyone: _**If you like to waltz with potatoes**_

_**Up and down the produce aisle**_

Bob: (slightly muffled) Uh, excuse me.

(The gang moves only slightly so that he is very visible. Bob tries to point towards the camera, anyway)

Bob: Have we got a show for you!

(Clips of all the VeggieTales episodes, excluding this one, begin to play over the singing)

Everyone: _**VeggieTales!**_

_** VeggieTales!**_

_** VeggieTales!**_

_** VeggieTales!**_

_** VeggieTales!**_

_** VeggieTales!**_

_** VeggieTales!**_

_** Ve-ggie-Tales!**_

Bob: _**Broccoli!**_

_** Celery!**_

_** Gotta be…**_

(Cut back to everyone trying to get as close to the camera as possible)

Everyone: _**VeggieTales!**_

Junior: _**Lima beans!**_

_** Collared greens!**_

_** Peachy keen!**_

(Cut back to the same scenario, with different people making it to the front this time)

Everyone: _**VeggieTales!**_

Larry: _**Brussel sprouts!**_

_** Scream and shout!**_

_** Check it out!**_

(Cut back to everyone charging the camera again, this time with Bob's face getting slightly smushed into the lens)

Everyone: (Bob in an odd voice, obviously) _**VeggieTales!**_

(Back to clips)

Everyone: _**There's never ever ever ever been a show like VeggieTales!**_

_** There's never ever ever ever been a show like VeggieTales!**_

(Cut back to the men all on one side, facing the right)

Everyone: _** It's time for…**_

(Cut to all the women on the other side facing the left)

Everyone: _**Veggie…**_

(Long shot of everyone jumping up and down and dancing, flower confetti falling all around them, with Larry playing the tuba in the center)

Everyone: _**Taaaaaaaales!**_

(As the note holds, we cut to Larry's face. His pupils shrink as he tries to keep up, but he eventually gives up and falls over. Everyone turns to him suddenly concerned, but we see him play the last note, confetti shooting out of his tuba. Everyone smiles to the camera as a laugh track of children is played)

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><p><strong>Yeah, I knew I was going to be doing a new theme song anyway, so I thought, "Heck, might as well do it now." Next chapter will be the countertop intro and then THE ACTUAL STORY. Bum bum bum!<strong>

**See y'all then!**


	2. Opening Countertop

**Well, here goes the intro! It's kind of really short, so sorry bout that. In fact, that's exactly why I'm submitting it now instead of making you wait for this little chapter. It was hard to write it in the context of them being human, as they can't very well say they are Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber, now can they? XD Anyway, I hope you guys like this little bit!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Bob: Hi kids, and welcome to VeggieTales! I'm your host, Bob-<p>

Larry: And I'm your better host, Larry!

(Bob gives him a flat look, to which Larry grins happily. Bob rolls his eyes and turns back to the camera.)

Bob: And we're here to answer your questions!

Larry: Yep!

(Bob takes a letter out of his back pocket)

Bob: Now, we got a very interesting letter today from Krista Herman in Mount Vernon, Iowa. She writes,

"Dear Bob,

I don't have many friends at school. I prayed to God to help me make more friends and be more confident, but so far He hasn't done anything . Does God not want me to have friends?"

Larry: Yeah, that's a good point. Sometimes, when I pray for God to do something for me, He doesn't do it. What's up with that, Bob?

Bob: Well, that's what our story today is all abou-

(Offstage) Petunia: Hold on a second, Bob.

(Petunia enters from stage left)

Larry: (Grinning even more than usual) Hi, Petunia!

Petunia: (Smiling as well) Hey, Larry.

Bob: (stands between them) What's wrong, Petunia?

Petunia: Is this gonna be another of these action-y boy stories with little to no girl characters?

Bob: (shifts) Erm…

Petunia: I thought so.

Laura: (Entering) Boo-ring!

Annie: (Entering) Tell them, Petunia!

Petunia: (Grinning) I've prepared a story for today.

Bob: (starting the early stages of panic) What? But I-

Larry: Is this another princess story?

Petunia: I thought you liked princess stories now, Larry.

Larry: Well…maybe, but-

Petunia: (to Bob) You wouldn't want to leave out the female demographic, would you?

Bob: (glares for a moment) That's low. Fine, but it better be good, because I had a story all ready.

Petunia: Oh, it is. Roll it!

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><p><strong>And there it is! Next chapter is the ACTUAL STORY. Aye-yai-yai, I'm nervous. Well, I'll see you all then, I suppose!<strong>


	3. The Sweetest Sound

**Hey hey hey! Sorry about the long wait-this class I have right now is eating me alive. No reviews yet, but BIG big big thanks to Comment person for recommending this story in Timely Love Stories! :D Kinda made my day, tbh. And now to return the favor...READ TIMELY LOVE STORIES! I mean, you're already here in this section, and it's probably the best story IN this section, so you might as well.**

**Anyway WHOA BABY WE'RE ACTUALLY STARTING THE STORY. I'm nervous. I'll admit that.**

**Basically, I combined a lot of elements that I liked from quite a few versions of Cinderella-the Disney animated one, the play-that-was-filmed version, Ella Enchanted (yes, that's actually about Cinderella). But the biggest influence, as you'll probably be able to tell, was the 1997 version starring Brandy, Whitney Houston, and Bernadette Peters. That one was probably my favorite.**

**However, while it may seem it a little in this chapter (darn exposition, not letting me change the wording), this is not going to be a word-for-word retelling of that version. I quite despise those.**

**Also, bold italics indicate singing. Just so's ya know.**

**Well, I suppose I can't stall any longer, huh? *braces self for impact***

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Once upon a time there was a beautiful village called Passivia. The people there were fairly happy, and were happily ruled by their King Maximillian and Queen Constantina. However, little was known about the crown prince-all anyone knew for certain was that his name was Christopher. No one bothered to seek out the answers to this, however.<p>

The village market was very busy today-every square inch of the place was filled with people. One woman seemed to take up more than her fair share of space with her desperately-trying-to-look-extravagant dress and large hat.

"Come along, girls!" Lady Tremaine called behind her as she trotted onward, a few tiny bags on her arm.

Her daughters came into view, also holding tiny bags.

"Hurry up!" Minerva barked to someone behind her, flipping her blonde hair as she did so.

"Move it!" Calliope screeched behind her as well, her long eyelashes fluttering in disdain.

There was a long moment where no one could be seen behind either of them. Suddenly, though, a young girl came sprinting around the corner, trying to juggle at least ten large boxes and keep up with her family at the same time. Her long braid was coming apart at the edges, and her plain blue dress was starting to become muddied from all the running. She didn't' notice, though-this was just a typical day for CinderJenna.

The little family finally arrived at the hat store. Minerva and Calliope admired a hat with multicolored feathers spewing from it that was on display outside the store. CinderJenna offered to zone out a little by watching a children's puppet show that was happening across the way.

Minerva suddenly grabbed the hat, much to Calliope's anger. "What do you think, Mother?" She gave her best smile.

Lady Tremaine tried not to wince. "Um…it's certainly not the sort of thing you see every day."

"I saw it first!" Calliope grabbed it from Minerva's head. "How do you think it looks on me, Mother?"

Minerva stuck her finger in her mouth and made a retching noise. "Awful," She supplied.

"I didn't ask you! I asked Mother!" Calliope growled.

"How can a mother choose between two such extraordinary daughters?" Lady Tremaine cooed. "Come girls, let's go inside."

The two sisters did not follow her, however, but instead looked for someone else to give an opinion. After all, how could they buy the hat without someone else telling them it looked good?

They spied their victim underneath a mountain of boxes.

"CinderJenna!" Calliope yelled.

She jumped, nearly dropping all the boxes. "What, what?" She turned to them.

"What do you think? Does it look better on me?" Calliope posed.

Minerva snatched the hat off her sister's head. "Or me?" She posed as well.

CinderJenna gave them a look, "Well, uh, I'm not really a hat expert, but all those feathers don't really flatter either of you. You should try to find one that-"

But she was immediately cut off. "What did you ask her for?' Minerva scoffed.

"She doesn't know anything about hats, she said so herself!" Calliope paused, then grabbed the hat and ran.

"Give that back!" Minerva chased her.

"It's mine!"

The two fought over the hat for a moment, before turning to the inside of the store.

"Mother!" They both whined at the same time, before running into the store.

CinderJenna rolled her eyes. Those two would never change. She turned her attention back to the puppet show-it was actually pretty interesting. The prince was now speaking to his dearly beloved.

"You are so beautiful and charming," The prince was saying. "Won't you do me the honor of becoming my bride?"

"He is a good man, Gwendolyn." The woman's father told her. "I know you will be happy with him."

"Thank you, dear father." The two hugged.

Was a children's puppet show allowed to pull at her heartstrings like that? She looked longingly at the small stage.

" _**The sweetest sounds I'll ever hear are still inside my head,**_" She sang.

She suddenly heard a squeal of joy, and turned to see a father spinning his young son around before putting him on his shoulders.

"_**The kindest words I'll ever know are waiting to be said,**_" She turned to watch them go.

Another sound-a woman giggling. She turned again and saw a mustached man with a gold tooth giving a daisy to his girlfriend. She smiled, and the two kissed.

"_**The most entrancing sight of all is yet for me to see**_," She watched the two leave, feeling a degree of envy.

CinderJenna finally looked up to the sky. "_**And the dearest love in all the world is waiting somewhere for me!**_

_**Is waiting somewhere**_

_**Somewhere for me-**_"

"CinderJenna!"

She whipped around-she had been so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed her little family had left the shop with new, even more flamboyant hats. She quickly followed behind her stepmother.

"Have you ever seen such a lazy girl in your life?" Minerva chuckled.

"Who are you calling lazy?" Calliope huffed.

"Not you, stupid, CinderJenna!" Minerva rolled her eyes.

Calliope nodded, laughing a little herself. Suddenly, she stopped. "Who are you calling stupid?" She huffed again.

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><p>In the central market, there was a man wearing a simple tan, unbuttoned, long sleeved shirt and black breeches. He brushed his bright red hair out of his face as he took in the sights around him. He seemed to enjoy just being there.<p>

"_**The sweetest sounds I'll ever hear are still inside my head,**_" He sang as he walked around the hub, buying a flower that caught his eye.

Suddenly, he spotted a couple arguing. Deciding to solve the matter, he gave the flower to the man, who gave it to the woman. She immediately smiled.

"_**The kindest words I'll ever know are waiting to be said**_." The man smiled as he walked away.

Having nothing else to do, he continued to wander around, just taking it all in.

"_**The most entrancing sight of all is yet for me to see**_." He turned back to the couple, seeing them embrace and walk away with their arms around each other. He felt a sense of longing.

"_**And the dearest love in all the world is waiting somewhere for me,**_" He sang hopefully. "_**Is waiting somewhere, somewhere for me**_."

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><p>CinderJenna and her family had arrived at the central market. CinderJenna began to sing as she followed her stepsisters, unaware of the young man echoing her words.<p>

"_**The sweetest sounds I'll ever hear are still inside my head**_

_**The kindest words I'll ever know are waiting to be said**_"

The two kept barely missing each other, or just passed by without noticing one another.

"_**The most entrancing sight of all is yet for me to see**_

_**And the dearest love in all the world is waiting somewhere for me!**_"

"_**Is waiting somewhere-**_" The man started to sing by himself.

Out of nowhere, a royal carriage sped into view and nearly ran over CinderJenna. She dropped the boxes as she quickly backed away, just barely missing it. The carriage continued undaunted, running over her boxes in the process.

The man saw this and quickly rushed to her aid.

"Are you alright, Miss?" He asked, kneeling down to help her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm all good," She replied.

"Here." He started to help her pick up the boxes, shaking his head angrily. "That's just like them, isn't it? I mean, those royals don't care if they're in anybody's way."

"Well, they were probably going somewhere important," CinderJenna replied.

"I doubt it," The man chuckled darkly. He finally picked up the last box and looked up to give it to her.

The two were taken aback for a moment. They couldn't put their finger on it, but something about the other person just seemed…mesmerizing.

CinderJenna was the first to snap out of it. She shook her head and grabbed the box. "Thanks," She said softly, then cleared her throat, talking a little louder. "Thank you for your help. Um Sir." He wasn't responding, so she started to walk away.

This snapped the young man out of it, and he immediately followed her.

"W-wait! What's your name?" He called.

She stopped. "CinderJenna," She mumbled.

"What was that?" He couldn't have heard that right.

She turned around to face him. "CinderJenna." His face still looked blank, so she tried to explain. "See, I like sitting by the fire, and the cinders fly up, and my face gets smudged, so my sisters call me CinderJenna."

"Oh! Right, I get it now! Well, I-I like it!" He smiled.

She raised an eyebrow. "It…grows on you, I guess. Um, excuse me." She tried to walk away-this was the longest she'd ever talked to anyone other than her immediate family, much less a man.

But he didn't give up. "Tell me, CinderJenna, what would a man have to do to find himself in your good graces?"

Whoa, was that formal. Who was this guy? "Who wants to know?" She asked, not turning to him as she continued walking.

"Let's just say, a…charming stranger," The man gave his best smile.

But CinderJenna was having none of it. "This charming stranger sounds pretty full of himself." She laughed, and the man deflated a little. "I mean, first off, he'd have to get to know me a whole lot better than just some girl he met on the street."

"Oh, but he'd like to! Very, very much!" The man changed tactics, walking backwards in front of her. Why hadn't he done this earlier?

He found his answer when he ran into a fruit cart, nearly knocking over the whole stand. He scrambled to try to right it. When he finally succeeded, he looked back up to see CinderJenna looking truly freaked out. She began to walk away from him again, but he ran to follow her.

"Y'know, I'm not so sure I want to meet this stranger," She was saying. "I doubt he even has any idea how a woman should be treated."

"What? Sure he does! A woman should be treated like a princess!" He smiled, proud of his answer.

But CinderJenna suddenly turned around-he nearly bumped into her. "No," She said, her eyes stern. "She should be treated like a person, with kindness and respect."

A girl who didn't want to be treated like royalty? That was certainly new. "You're not like most girls, are you?" The man smiled.

She suddenly frowned. "What do you mean?"

"No! No no no, I didn't mean that in a bad way! I just meant that-I just-" He sighed. "I was trying to compliment you, not offend you."

There was a moment of awkward silence-the man was quiet out of shame, while CinderJenna was trying to gauge the man's intentions.

Finally, CinderJenna broke the silence. "It's okay." She smiled warmly, and the man felt immensely relieved.

"I'm just kind of sensitive, I guess," She explained. "I've lived a pretty sheltered life."

"Really?"

She nodded.

"So have I!" He knew he sensed something he had in common with her!

"Really?" She grinned. Someone who got what she was going through?

"Yeah, where every day it's the same old boring routine-"

"Until you just want to run away-"

"And never come ba-"

They had said the last part at the exact same time. They stopped, and laughed, happy to have found a true friend.

"I thought I told you never to talk to strangers!" Came a snarling female voice.

CinderJenna jumped, running towards her stepfamily. "I'm sorry, Stepmother."

The man was so sad to see her go, but felt he had to say something else to her.

"I hope I see you again…CinderJenna." He smiled at her one last time, and then he was gone.

CinderJenna stared after him. She hoped to see him again, too, but would she? Certainly not if her stepmother had anything to say about it.

As if on cue, her Stepmother barked again. "Well, hurry up, CinderJenna, it's time to go home! You shouldn't laze about like this!"

They began to walk away, but CinderJenna stopped and looked back.

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><p>The man walked to the meeting spot. Lionel was there waiting for him.<p>

"You ready to go, Chris?" He smiled.

"Yeah…" Chris nodded.

"What's wrong? You seem distracted," Lionel commented as they walked to the carriage.

"It's nothing."

Lionel raised an eyebrow-he knew him better than that. He was Chris' best friend, after all.

"I'll tell you later, okay?" Chris pleaded.

He pointed at Chris. "I'm holding you to that."

They finally reached the carriage, and Lionel opened the door for him.

"Your Highness." He did a flourishing bow.

"Knock it off," He sulked as he got into the carriage.

"Yeesh, what's eating him?" Lionel wondered to himself as he got the carriage going.

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><p>"<em><strong>The most entrancing sight of all is yet for me to see,<strong>_" She sang longingly as she stared at where the man once was.

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><p>"<em><strong>And the dearest love in all the world is waiting somewhere for me,<strong>_" Chris looked back at the village as it got smaller and smaller.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Is waiting somewhere-<strong>_"

"CINDERJENNA!"

Groaning, she reluctantly turned back to catch up with her stepfamily.

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><p>"<em><strong>Somewhere for me.<strong>_"

Chris turned back to face what was technically his home-the palace.

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><p><strong>Well…there it is!<strong>

**Look at all them line breaks! I wanted to highlight how separated they are at the moment. So...yeah.**

**Wow, the beginning of my first VeggieTales episode. Dang.**

**Well anyway, hope to see you all in the next chapter! :D**


	4. Guess What the Prince is Giving?

**Hello my lovelies! Next chapter comin' up, and it's a bit of a long one. I'm sure you're all devastated to hear that. :)**

**If you're confused about who any of the characters are supposed to be played by, feel free to call me out on it. I tried to make it as obvious as I could, but I still might epic fail at that. *shrug***

**Also, bold italics are singing.**

**So…yeah. That's about all I have to say, really.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"So how was your trip among the common folk?" Lionel teased as he helped adjust the collar on Chris' clean white long sleeved shirt.<p>

After a good eye roll, he smiled. "It was great, Lionel. For a whole day, nobody treated me like I was the prince. I could just walk around and enjoy everything without anyone approaching me about my thoughts on the new bill or when I would choose a bride. It was such a relief. Those people are so lucky."

"Lucky?" Lionel turned with a bright red vest in his hand. "Chris, all of those people down there wish that they could be you!"

"Only because they have no idea what it's really like!" He countered, throwing on the vest in a huff. "I have no control over my own life! Everything is decided for me!"

"Oh come on, not _everything_," Lionel tried.

"Yeah? Who picked this outfit for me today?"

"Um, the royal dresser, but-"

"And who decides what I'm going to do every day?"

"Well, your royal day planner-"

"What I eat?"

"The cook-"

"What I say?"

"Your speech writers…" Lionel sighed. "Gosh, you're right. I would hate to have that little control."

"Yeah, me too." Chris deadpanned.

"So why don't you do something about it?" He shrugged.

Before he could answer, the royal day planner came in.

"Your Highness, the King and Queen request your presence in the drawing room." He announced.

Chris sighed. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

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><p>He walked the short distance to the drawing room, regretting the conversation that awaited him. He was sure he knew exactly how it would go.<p>

Opening the door, he saw his mother looking over a long piece of parchment while sitting on an easy chair. His father sat at the desk, adjusting his monocle before continuing to read his novel.

"Hello?" He asked.

"His mother's head immediately shot up and she ran to him. "Christopher, there you are, darling!" She wrapped him in a tight hug. "Your father and I were just talking about you, sweetheart!"

He looked to his father, who gave him a look that said, "Be very afraid".

"What do you mean, Mother?" Chris asked tentatively.

"We were planning a party for you, sugar!" She gushed. "I was just writing out the guest list."

"Oh, may I see it?" He tried to get around her but she blocked him.

"Oh, it's not a big party!" She tried to subdue him. "You know, just family."

"Uh huh." Looking at that piece of paper, he doubted it. Chris continued to try to get around her.

Looking back at the paper, the Queen relented. "And a few close friends. Just a few, you understand."

"Uh huh." Before she could react, Chris bolted around the table and grabbed the list. It was even longer than he thought-it was nearly as tall as he was!

"And all the eligible young women in the kingdom." He heard his mother mumble.

"Mother!" He groaned-he had a bad feeling that was what this was about.

"It'll only be about eight or nine hundred. At the most." She nodded.

"Mother, please, not another ball." He put a hand to his forehead. "I'm begging you."

"What?" This didn't seem to compute in her head. She turned to her husband. "Honey, what's he saying?"

The king finally put down his novel. "I think he made it quite clear. He's saying he doesn't want to have another ball."

"What?" She turned, stunned. "No, of course he isn't!"

Chris kept a straight face.

"Come on, dear, tell him!" She encouraged.

He stayed frozen.

There was a long moment of silence. Suddenly, the queen let out a woeful moan and her hand flew to her forehead.

"Here we go," Chris sighed.

"Max!" She collapsed onto the couch. "Fetch my sachets! And my smelling salts! And my aromatherapy candles! And-"

"I'll take it from here, darling." He stood up and approached Chris. "Now, son, we're not just throwing these balls to torture you-"

"You sure?" He deadpanned.

Max gave him a look. "Chris, we just want you to be happy."

"What does happiness have to do with this?" Her head immediately shot up.

It was a moment before she realized her mistake. "No, no, I mean, of course we want you to be happy, dear!" She smiled at her son, who did not return the gesture. "But you also have obligations to your country and your family. You must choose a bride and produce an heir to the throne!"

Chris sighed. "Look, Mother, Father, I'm not saying I'm not going to get married or anything like that. I'm just asking that you let me choose a bride in my own way, not through some slapped-together beauty pageant."

He started to walk away a little. "I just want to be sure that I'm in love when I get married." He turned back to his parents and smiled. "Like you were."

They looked up at each other and smiled. "And that's what we want for you too, son." The king smiled warmly at Chris.

"Yes, of course it is, sweetheart." The queen smiled as well. "But what's to say you won't fall in love at the ball? I mean, there are going to be so many girls, I'm sure at least one will strike your fancy, if not more than-"

"Darling?"

"What?"

She looked up to find her son had vanished.

"Wha-But where did he go?" She gaped.

"Perhaps it was something we said." With that, the king returned to his studies.

Huffing, the queen took a deep breath. "LIONEL!"

He appeared instantly. "Yes, Your Highness?"

"Here." She handed him a scroll of paper and a feather pen. "A royal proclamation from the Prince."

"Um, Your Majesty?" He asked tentatively. "I didn't hear the prince-"

The queen shot him an icy look, and his mouth snapped shut. He immediately began writing.

She began very dramatically. "His Royal Highness! Christopher Rupert! Vwindemeir Vladimir _**Carl Alexander**_

_**Francois Reginald Lancelot Herman-**_"

"Herman?" Lionel looked up, raising an eyebrow.

She glared. "Herman."

He shrugged and continued writing.

"_**Gregory James**_-" She spotted her husband giving her a disapproving look. "Oh, he'll thank us for it later." She assured him. He just rolled his eyes and went back to his book.

"_**Is giving a ball!**_" The queen finished, throwing her arms in the air in elation.

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><p>The next day, Lionel was standing on the back of the royal carriage.<p>

"_**The prince is giving a ball!**_" He shouted.

Everyone heard, of course, and crowded around the carriage to hear the news.

Lionel read from his scroll. "_**His Royal Highness, Christopher Rupert**_

_**Son of Her Majesty, Queen Constantina**_

_**Charlotte Hermantrude Guinevere Mazie-**_"

"Mazie?" Lady Tremaine raised an eyebrow, frowning.

Lionel just nodded. "Mazie."

_**Margaret Anne**_

_**Is giving a ball!**_"

That was all everyone needed to hear. They immediately scattered to tell everyone they knew.

"_**The prince is giving a ball! The prince is giving a ball!**_" Everyone cheered.

* * *

><p>A group of women had gathered outside the deli.<p>

"They've spread the message far and wide, the prince is giving a ball!" One woman announced.

Another nodded, then whispered. "They say he wants to find a bride, he may find one at the ball."

This sent the girls all atwitter.

"I wish that he'd propose to me!" One girl jumped up and down in excitememnt.

"If only he'd propose to me," Another sighed.

"Why shouldn't he propose to me?" A third huffed, feeling left out.

"_**The prince is giving a ball! The prince is giving a ball!**_" The town could be heard for miles

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Lionel was at the fabric shop, telling the owners what the royal family requested.<p>

"_**Now, if you please, the crown decrees some peau de sois with frills,**_" He read off another scroll, squinting at the unfamiliar words. "_**A silky satine in aubergine, a red if someone spills.**_"

"How're these?" The fabric maker's young daughter held up three swatches-one silky white with lace at the bottom, an eggplant-purple satin, and a wine-red shiny one.

"Perfect!" He smiled, giving her the measurements. She sprinted to give them to her mother, blonde braids flying.

* * *

><p>He next moved on to the butcher.<p>

"_**Now surely I'll need a side of lamb and lots of beef filets,**_" He asked. "_**Some marbleized steak, a rack of lamb, and veal you raise to braise.**_"

"Aye, that'll be no problem." The butcher nodded. His sons immediately began chopping, and Lionel's hand barely made it out okay.

* * *

><p>He took a deep breath as he grabbed the next scroll and made his way to the local dairy farm.<p>

"_**Limburger, Swiss and gourmandie, cheddar, gryere, and blue.**_" He listed them off. He then noticed there was some small writing next to "Swiss", and corrected himself. "_**Chunks of Swiss in barrels, please! Make sure that it's holey, too.**_"

"Anything for the crown," The farmer's wife smiled.

"Yay! I love makin' cheese!" Her son cheered.

"Me too!" The daughter jumped up and down in glee.

* * *

><p>Wiping his brow with a kerchief, Lionel now approached the bakery.<p>

"_**Puddings and pies and rum soufflés, succulent chocolate rounds. Cream puffs they can chew away to gain some royal pounds!**_" He grinned.

The two bakers laughed. "You are a funny one, Monsieur!" One of them spoke up.

"We shall prepare only the finest!" The other assured him.

"Thank you, gentlemen." Lionel tipped his hat and was off for more preparations.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>The prince is giving a ball!<strong>_" A large group of women of all ages had gathered by the fruit stands to discuss the matter.

"_**I'll wear a gown of satin jade**_," One of the women gushed.

"_**And me, I'll wear a pink brocade**_," Her friend nodded.

"_**I wish I'd been a neater girl**_," One younger woman looked down at herself as she was covered in mud from a hiking expedition.

"_**I wish I'd been a sweeter girl**_," Another bemoaned, as she continued to hold her sister in a headlock.

"_**I wish I'd been a younger girl**_," All the married women sighed.

"_**I wish I were an older girl**_," One small girl with brown hair and glasses shrugged.

Despite their complaints, all the women were incredibly excited.

"_**The prince is giving a ball! The prince is giving a ball!**_" They squealed.

* * *

><p>"Phew!" Lionel sighed, leaning against the carriage. He'd just been to the florist, his last stop. Now he just had to do a double check of everything and announce the ball one last time (as if everyone hadn't known about it for the past hour). He really wanted to get back, so he tried to do them both at the same time.<p>

"_**His Royal Highness (200 orchids, 400 poppies, 600 roses, 800 lilies), Christopher Rupert (1000 oranges, 2000 plums)-**_"

Suddenly, he dropped one of the scrolls, sending the other ones scattering. Frantic, he tried to find which one he was supposed to be reading. He just started reading all of them, getting more desperate as he went.

"_**Vwindemeir Valdimir Karl Alexander, raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, gooseberry, Francois Reginald Lancelot Herman, son of Her Majesty, Queen Constantina, chocolate and cheddar and Charlotte and Mazie, Son of His Majesty King Maximillian Godfrey Ledislan Leopald Sydney-**_"

"_**Sydney?**_" Everyone stopped and turned.

"_**Syndey!**_" He finally gave up and threw all the scrolls into the air.

"_**Is giving a ball!**_" The whole town sang jubilantly.

With that the carriage finally drove back to the castle.

No one noticed a girl with a kerchief around her head who had seemingly just walked in.

"The prince is giving a ball!" CinderJenna smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>Things are starting to get rolling! Still won't be able to get too much away from the original script until chapter after next-stupid exposition.<strong>

**This chapter actually required some hardcore research. XD Despite being in this show in middle school, I didn't know all the words or how to spell a lot of the names. I also didn't know what those colors for the fabric where (well, I knew red, of course), so I had to look those up. I also noticed he said Swiss twice, and that didn't make sense, so I made it make sense! Movie magic! Er...story magic, I guess.**

**Anyway, I hope to see you all in the next installment! :D**


	5. Little Corner, Little Chair

**Hey howdy hey! Been a while, hasn't it? This month has been really crazy-very busy class, plus I was super-sick for a whole week. Nausea sick-my least favorite. I mean, I hate having colds and sore throats as much as anyone, but I absolutely HATE feeling nauseous.**

**Well, anyway, I'm back now.**

**Also, R.I.P. to Whitney Houston. The main thing I know her from is the 1997 Cinderella, and she made a kickin' Fairy Godmother. Here's to you, girl. We're gonna miss you.**

**You know, for a story called "Cinder-Jenna", we haven't really spent much time with her, have we? Well, that's all going to change in this chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Lady Tremaine's little family sauntered to the door of their home. They had done the majority of their shopping for the ball before this, so CinderJenna was only holding about five boxes this time.<p>

As they approached the door, Lady Tremaine stopped promptly at the door, as did Minerva and Calliope. CinderJenna stopped as well, looking confused.

After a very long moment, the three slowly turned to her with a condescending look.

"CinderJenna," She said slowly, as if talking to someone who had recently had a lobotomy. "The door?"

"Oh, right, sorry!" She rushed to the door and opened it after a good juggling session with the boxes.

The family walked into their overly lavish, trying-too-hard house. The stepsisters and stepmother piled their hats, gloves, and wraps on top of CinderJenna and her boxes, and she stumbled to the kitchen to put them all away.

"CinderJenna, have you dusted the rafters?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"Or washed the floor?" Minerva looked at the pristine floor as if it were covered in filth.

"Or started preparing our tea?" Calliope looked longingly at the kitchen.

CinderJenna emerged, the hats, gloves, and wraps properly put away, and put the boxes on the living room table. "Um, not yet, but I'll start right away."

"You haven't even started?" Her stepmother scoffed. "Really, CinderJenna, what HAVE you been doing all day?"

"Um, I've been in town with you, remember?" She said gently.

Her stepmothers and stepsisters turned sharply to her and gasped.

"The nerve!" Her stepmother threw her hair back. "You know, CinderJenna, when your father passed away, everyone said I should have thrown you out into the street. But I didn't, and this is how you repay me?"

"I-"

But of course she wasn't finished. "It's exhausting, being this kind." She sighed. "I mean, everyone always tells me I've got too big a heart."

"You've got too big a heart, Mother," The sisters recited automatically.

Grinning, Lady Tremaine bounced towards the staircase. "I think we'll take our tea upstairs. We really must be rested for the ball tomorrow night."

With that, the three headed up the stairs.

"I'm _so _tired," Calliope yawned.

"_You're_ tired?" Minerva scoffed.

"Yes, _I'm_ tired!" Calliope screeched as the two retreated into their rooms.

CinderJenna took a deep breath. '_Just do it. What's the worst that can happen?_' "Stepmother?"

"Ugh, what is it now?" She appeared at the top of the staircase.

"Um…" '_Don't lose your nerve!_' "I wanted to ask about the ball?" It came out sounding more like a question than she intended. "I mean, all the eligible women in the kingdom are invited, so does that mean-"

"And you think the prince is going to take one look at you and fall madly in love." She held back a laugh.

"What? No, I didn't-it just seemed like it would be fun-"

"Take my advice, CinderJenna." She interrupted. "Know your place, and be satisfied with what God gave you. I promise you, you'll be much happier."

And with that, she was gone.

"But-!" It was no use. CinderJenna sighed. '_Well, so much for that._'

"CinderJenna, hot water!" Minerva suddenly appeared, barking.

"CinderJenna, warm milk!" Calliope wasn't far behind.

When they noticed she wasn't listening, they fumed.

"CINDERJENNA!"

Her head snapped up, and she headed into the kitchen, closing the door.

When she was sure they weren't in hearing range, she let herself be angry.

" 'CinderJenna, hot water!' " She began to imitate her stepsisters. " 'CinderJenna, warm milk!' CinderJenna, do this! CinderJenna, do that! Why don't you just do everything, CinderJenna!' "

She let herself lean fully on the counter, feeling sorry for herself.

"_**I'm as mild and as meek as a mouse,**_" She lamented. "_**When I hear a command, I obey.**_"

Suddenly, CinderJenna remembered something. She looked towards the fireplace.

"_**But I know of a spot in my house,**_" She smiled. "_**Where no one can stand in my way!**_"

Her chair. Her father had made it himself, just for her. It had her name carved in perfect cursive (how did he ever do that?) on the back. Not "CinderJenna", just Jenna. Her _real _name. The armrests had tiny flowers that he had let her carve herself. As she was only about six at the time, some of them were quite misshapen. But she didn't care-this was the one thing that her stepfamily couldn't take from her. She sat down in it, feeling at home.

"_**In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be.**_" She eased into her chair, her eyes closed. "_**On the wing of my fancy, I can fly anywhere, and the world will open its arms to me!**_"

After checking once more, to be sure the door was locked, she got up and began to imagine.

"_**I'm a young Norwegian princess,**_" She pretended to swish an imaginary long skirt. "_**Or a milkmaid!**_" She pretended to swing a bucket next to her side, skipping as she did so.

CinderJenna then spotted a long dishcloth, and grinned as she grabbed it and wrapped it around herself.

"_**I'm the greatest prima donna in Milan!**_" She raised her nose up and put on a snooty air as she strutted around the table.

Next, she sat on the edge of it, trying to look demure.

"_**I'm an heiress who has always had her silk made-**_" She swished the scarf around elegantly. "_**By her own flock of silkworms in Japan!**_"

CinderJenna gasped as she had a new thought. She put her hands behind her back and walked as sweetly as she could.

"_**I'm a girl men go mad for, love's a game I can play-**_" She partially hid her face behind the scarf in an attempt to look mysterious. "_**With a cool and confident kind of AIR!**_"

On the last word, she threw her arms out, knocking over a mop in the process. Panicking, she quickly righted it.

"_**Just as long as I stay in my own little corner,**_" She checked to be sure her stepfamily hadn't heard, before quickly sitting back down and relaxing. "_**All alone in my own little chair.**_"

"CINDERJENNA! WE'RE THIRSTY" Came her stepsisters' cries.

"WHERE IS OUR TEA?" Her stepmother barked.

She quickly stood up and grabbed a teacup and tiny plate. When she stood up, though, she looked out the window at the beautiful day. She thought of everything else she could be doing right now.

"_**I can be whatever I want to be.**_" She looked down at the cup and plate, and grinned.

She quickly hid them behind herself, trying her best to sneak around. "_**I'm a thief in Calcutta-**_"

Having another idea, she put the cup on her head and used the plate as a fan. "_**I'm a queen in Peru!**_"

Setting the cup and plate down, she started simply dancing around the room. "_**I'm a mermaid dancing upon the sea!**_"

CinderJenna almost tripped over a broom in her dancing. This gave her another idea.

She grabbed it and began to point the end without the bristles out in front of her, seeing everything as a threat.

"_**I'm a huntress on an African safari!**_" She tried to remember what the jungles in her books looked like. "_**It's a dangerous type of sport, and yet it's fun.**_"

Dropping her "gun", she ventured bravely out the kitchen door. "_**In the night I sally-forth to seek my quarry!**_" She suddenly stopped, looking around her in fake panic. "_**And I find I forgot to bring my gun!**_"

She then started walking randomly, as if everything was unfamiliar. "_**I am lost in the jungle, all alone and unarmed-**_" Her back hit the staircase, and she looked up. "_**When I meet a lioness in her lair!"**_

She imagined her stepmother as a hungry lioness, angered at not having tea all day. If she found her here, the only thing that would satisfy her hunger would be-

CinderJenna quickly ran back to the kitchen, shutting and locking the door.

After a moment, she finally exhaled. "_**Then I'm glad to be back in my own little corner...**_"

She set the broom back up against the table, checked that the cup and plate weren't chipped, and set the dishcloth back on the counter, neatly folded, before heading back to her chair.

"_**All alone in my own little chair.**_" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. No matter what an awful day she'd had, she could always count on her chair and her imagination to give her some happiness and peace.

"**CINDERJENNA!**"

Key word being some.

With a sigh, CinderJenna started making tea for her stepfamily.

* * *

><p><strong>Aw, poor girl.<strong>

**I'm really excited for the next chapter-FINALLY, I get to get away from the basic script and go off into my own crazy form of storytelling! Super pumped, can't even tell you. Get excited. **

**I SAID GET EXCITED.**

**Anywho, I hope to see you all in the next chapter, which will hopefully be up quicker than this one was!**


	6. Arguments and Compromise

**Hey guys, what's crack-a-lackin'? Sorry for the delay-no excuse this time, just been generally busy. Guess this one wasn't up quicker after all. Please don't hate me?**

**Reviewer response GO!**

**magictoast15: Glad you like it, and I hope you continue to like it as it develops! :)**

**Alright, now I'M driving this crazy story. Well, okay, I'm not going to be REALLY driving it for about…hold on, gotta check the draft…three more chapters or so. Think of this chapter as a driving test of sorts before I actually take the wheel from the original script.**

**Confused similes aside, I like this chapter, so I hope y'all do as well.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"<strong>CINDERJENNA!" <strong>Lady Tremaine yelled from her room.

The girl in question was there in an instant. "Yes, Stepmother?"

"It is simply FREEZING in here! Fetch me some more wood for that tiny thing." She indicated the massive fireplace.

CinderJenna looked at it with envy, as she did every time she came in here. She wished she had a fireplace in her broom closet of a room.

But that meant she got to go out to the wood shed! She hadn't been there in days! "Yes, Stepmother!" She smiled widely as she hurried outside.

Lady Tremaine shook her head. "There's something wrong with that girl."

* * *

><p>CinderJenna hurried to the shed across the large field in the back of her house. She loved visiting the shed-she had so many memories there. She used to go in there and watch her father work for hours. He would carve wood for special projects, or just chop it for their fires. He was always very generous-he gave wood to anyone that needed it. After he died, so did his wood smith business-she couldn't possibly do it by herself, and her stepfamily had no interest in it, particularly since they were already plenty rich themselves.<p>

But it wasn't just for the memories that she looked forward to her visits to the shed, and the other reason was why she'd also brought some leftover bread and cheese with her.

Finally, she was there. Before she entered, she made sure to give the signal.

**Knock-knock-knock. Knock-knock-knock. Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock.**

And she opened it.

"I smell cheese!"

A slightly-younger-than-middle-aged man with a large nose and an even larger brown mustache emerged, licking his lips at the sight of the food. He wore ratty, ripped clothes and a sort of newsboy cap that was more patches than hat.

CinderJenna smiled. "And bread."

"You spoil me, penniless buddy." With that, he took the food and began to hungrily eat. CinderJenna sat down beside him.

"I have not seen you all this week," He commented in his thick accent between bites. "It has been nothing but the food you leave at the window. What gives?"

"Sorry," She apologized. "They've been taking me with them shopping all week. See, the prince is-"

"Giving a ball." He grinned. "I may not be as connected with the village as you are, but I think the entire continent has heard by now."

She laughed. "True."

"So, what are you going to wear?" He asked as he gulped down the rest of his meal.

"Um…"

"You have not picked a dress yet? Well, that is okay, I can tell you what kind and color would suit you best. Fashion sense runs very deep in my family."

"Yasir-"

"You should pick a bright color! Your stepmother always makes you wear such dull colors, and I really think-"

"I'm not going." She said quietly.

"What? Why not? Come on, it will be fun! You really need to get out more! And not "out" as in being a pack mule for your so-called family, I am talking-"

"My stepmother told me I'm not allowed to go." CinderJenna brought her knees up to her chest.

There was silence.

"…What a hag!"

"Yasir!" She admonished him.

"I am going to march right in there and tell her-"

"No!" CinderJenna held him back. "She'd kick you out. Where would you go then?"

Yasir considered this for a moment, than sighed. "You are right. I apologize. Anger issues run very deep in my family."

CinderJenna liked to count how many times in one conversation Yasir said something "ran very deep in his family". The record was 22.

Suddenly, Yasir had an idea. "Why don't you go, anyway?"

"What?" She turned sharply to him.

"Yeah! And you can sneak back here before she gets back! Ooo, that would be so exciting!"

She rolled her eyes. "I can't."

"Why not? You could meet some nice young men, eh?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Yasir…" She chuckled, rolling her eyes again.

"What? Come on, there has to be at least one man in this town that you would not mind escorting you to the ball." He poked her.

CinderJenna looked down, remembering the red-haired man.

"Oh, so there is one!" He exclaimed happily.

Darn it! Yasir could always read her so well. "I met this guy a week ago, but we only talked once, and only for like two seconds. I don't even know his name."

"Ah, young love." He sighed, before getting excited again. "Well, all the more reason to get you to that ball! The man will surely be there, and then you can learn his name, and dance together, and I am sure he will tell you that he has been thinking about you as much as you have been thinking about him, and that he cannot sleep because thoughts of you keep running through his head, and it will be just so romantic!"

She laughed-Yasir always did have a flair for the dramatic. "Look, that's a nice thought, but I just can't."

"Why not? CJ, you can be such a downer sometimes." He crossed his arms.

"I could never get everything together in time! And besides, my stepmother said no."

"Oh, forget your stepmother! She is not even your real family!"

"Yasir!" She gasped. "How can you say that? Just because we're not flesh and blood doesn't mean-"

"That is not what I mean!" Yamar placed his big hands on her shoulders. "Family does not treat family like they are slaves! Did your father make you do everything around the house?"

"Well, I had to, since my mom-"

"But did he force you to do those things?" He persisted.

"Well, no-"

"Exactly. You did them out of love for your father." Yasir went for a softer tone. "I highly doubt that your stepmother appreciates what you are doing the way your father did."

CinderJenna looked down, thinking it over. Finally, she pulled away. "Look, it doesn't matter. I have to bring the wood back anyway." She grabbed a few medium size chunks of wood.

"CinderJenna, you do not deserve this kind of life!" Yasir persisted. "And you know it! I think it is high time you do something about it!"

She turned around. "If God wanted me to leave, he would have delivered me out of here by now."

"Are you sure-"

"Look, I really have to go. I'll come see you again tomorrow, okay?"

And with that, she was gone.

"Wait-!" He sighed. "What am I going to do with her?"

* * *

><p>"What am I going to do with her?" Chris muttered as he made his way to the ballroom.<p>

The ball was just one day away. He had tried over and over and over again to get his mother to cancel it, and each time he had failed. This was his last chance.

He spotted her talking to the caterer.

"Mother."

She turned. "Christopher, darling-"

"You have to call off this ball." He stated firmly.

"I can't. It's hard to cancel once you've got the ball rolling." She laughed loudly at her own joke as she walked away.

Chris followed her. "Mother, I'm serious. This whole thing is just ridiculous!"

"It is most certainly not ridiculous!" The queen turned to him, her jaw dropped.

"Yes! It is! I told you, I don't want to meet a girl at some ball!" He protested.

"Why not?" His father's voice suddenly sounded behind him. He walked around and out his arm around the queen. "That's how I met your mother." She smiled back up at him.

Chris shook his head. "Yes, and that's great for you two, but I told you before-I want to meet a woman in my own way."

"But you can!" The queen assured him. "You can meet her while you're dancing, or while getting food, or out in the garden…"

As she continued to talk, Chris put a hand to his forehead. He'd had this exact same argument with her every single time. She never bothered to listen. He was really starting to lose hope.

"Um excuse me, Your Highnesses?"

They all turned to Lionel, who was on a ladder hanging some streamers.

"If I could input just a tiny suggestion?" He asked sheepishly.

"A suggestion? For what?" The queen looked baffled.

The king and prince looked at each other.

"What is it, Lionel?" King Max asked.

He looked up, thinking. Well, let's say that the prince goes to the ball tonight."

"You traitor!" Chris glared at him.

"Oh, I like this suggestion." The queen nodded.

"Now, the prince probably doesn't know any of these women, as he has spent most of his life here at the castle." Lionel gave him a sly look. "But they all know him. It would be awkward if he were to have to approach all of them and ask them to dance. But since _they_ know _him_…"

Chris smiled. "Lionel, you're a genius." He whispered.

"That's what they tell me." He whispered back, winking.

Chris turned back to his parents. "Alright, Mother. I'll go to the ball. But the women have to be the ones who ask me to dance-"

"Wha-?"

"-and if I don't meet anyone that I like-"

"But-"

"-you have to let me pick a bride in my own way, no matter how long that takes."

"Max!" She looked to her husband for help.

He shrugged. "It does have the ring of fairness to it, sweetheart."

After a moment, she smiled. "I suppose, Chris, if that's what you _really_ want-"

"Thank you!" He gave them both hugs. "I love you both very much!" He walked out of the ballroom, a new spring in his step.

The queen took a deep breath, still unsure about this.

"Don't worry, Your Highnesses!" Lionel smiled as he taped streamers to the grand arch. "He'll meet someone tonight! I can feel it in my bones!"

"You'll feel it in your bones if he doesn't." The queen shot daggers at him with her eyes, and he gulped.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry, I know that last bit is directly from the script, but it's one of my favorite parts, I had to throw it in there. XD<strong>

**Also, did you notice the knock? Did the rhythm remind you of a certain song? No? Right, kind of obscure and hard to put into word form, sorry bout that.**

**Well, I'll see you crazy peeps in the next chapter then!**


	7. Wishes

**What's shakin;, bacon? Ready for another chapter? I know I am.**

**Response del reviewer.**

**Imagenary26: I'm glad you read them all-this wouldn't make much sense otherwise. XD Well, you're commenting now, so what does it matter? I'm just as happy. :) Yeah, it's weird-Bob is the co-host, yet rarely gets leads. Plus, for this Prince, I felt Bob fit the role better than Larry anyway. I hope this chapter lives up to your excitement!**

**Well, let's get the ball rollin' shall we?**

…**Oh my gosh, I didn't even do that on purpose. XD XD**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"You girls are going to be the envy of every girl at the ball!" Lady Tremaine announced, smiling at her beautiful girls.<p>

It was the day of the ball. Lady Tremaine, Minerva, and Calliope were in curlers and robes, preparing for the night's festivities. CinderJenna not only had her hair in a kerchief, but pulled back as well. She was just finishing up doing Minerva's nails.

"There," She exhaled. "Are those good?"

"Me next! Me next!" Calliope practically shoved her out of the chair before she could respond. CinderJenna sighed inwardly and began to do her nails as well.

"Minerva, get up! I need to tie your corset!" Her mother pulled her up.

"Oh, do I have to wear a corset?" She moaned.

"Stand still." She commanded, and Minerva closed her mouth.

"Our family has always been known for its FAScinating women." She began to pull on Minerva's corset on random syllables, with exponentially more pained responses from the victim herself. "We are DIGnified, CULtured, arTICulate, and MOST imPORtantly, we are excEEDingly BEAUTIFUL!" She was having a bit of trouble pulling the corset in all the way, and put a foot on Minerva's back to get some support.

"Mother, you're hurting me!" She choked out.

"Beauty knows no pain, girls!" The corset finally closed, and she tied it tight. Minerva could just barely breathe normally.

"Now." Lady Tremaine went to inspect her own appearance in the hall mirror. "There is simply no reason on Earth the prince shouldn't choose one of you to be his bride. However, I did ask you girls to come up with strategies, did I not?"

"Yes, Mother." They answered in unison.

"Front and center, please, darlings."

CinderJenna had just finished off Calliope's nails, but judging by the way she'd bolted out of the chair, it probably wouldn't have mattered anyway. The two stood at attention in the center of the living room.

"Minerva?"

"Well, first I'm going to flutter my eyelashes." She demonstrated, although it looked more like a piece of dust was in her eye.

"Excellent!" Her mother smiled. "Calliope?"

"I'm going to start with a curtsy!" She said proudly. She bent her knees and almost promptly fell over, but tried to play it off like she'd meant to do it.

"Well, then I'm going to curtsy, too!" Minerva insisted. She stuck one leg out behind her and flailed her arms, smiling at her mother for approval.

"Then I'm going to flutter my eyelashes!" Calliope huffed.

"You can't! That's MY thing!"

"Well then, you can't curtsy!"

"Fine! Curtsies are stupid, anyway!"

"No, they're not, they're dignified!"

"Not when you do them…"

"Hey, mine was way better than yours!"

"GIRLS!" She shouted, then regained her composure. "Let's…move on, shall we? Tell me, what are you going to SAY to the prince?"

"Well, Mother," Minerva started, scratching the back of her neck. "I wanted to show him that there's more to me than mere beauty, so I found this book called a Thesaurus, and I'm going to use the words in there when I talk to him."

"Alright, but don't overdo it. Men can't stand to be around smart women." Lady Tremaine advised.

"Yes, Mother." She smiled.

"Now, what are YOU going to say, Calliope?" She turned to her other daughter.

"Well, Mother, I've been working on my naturally infectious laughter." She grinned.

"Your what?" Minerva frowned.

"Tonight, at the ball, I'm going to laugh at all the Prince's jokes, and my laughter will be so infectious that he won't be able to help but laugh along!" She laughed her high-pitched nasally laugh to illustrate, but was quickly interrupted by a very loud snort.

Her mother ran over to her, grabbing her shoulders. "I beg you, Calliope, whatever you do, you MUST try not to snort."

"Yes, Mother." She nodded.

"And Minerva!" She turned to her daughter. "You must not get into any fights."

"Yes, Mother." Minerva nodded as well.

"Remember girls, we hide our flaws…" She waited for them to finish.

"Until after the wedding!" The girls recited in unison.

"Wait, that doesn't make sense-"

The three immediately turned to CinderJenna, who looked down.

"What doesn't make sense, CinderJenna?" Her stepmother asked in a fake sweet voice.

"Nothing," She mumbled.

"No, no, you must have said something. Come, come, spit it out."

She took a deep breath, then looked at her stepmother. "It doesn't make sense that you would hide your flaws. Isn't that lying? And anyway, shouldn't the right man love you for who you are in spite of your flaws?"

Lady Tremaine stared at her for a minute.

"How cute." She finally said. "Tell me, CinderJenna. What would YOU say to win the heart of the Prince?"

"I…I don't know." She looked back down at the floor.

"Of course you don't. Honestly, what would even be the point of bringing you to the ball?"

She turned back to her other daughters, all traces of cruelty and anger gone.

"Come, girls, let's get our dresses on!"

They headed upstairs, all excitement and happiness.

CinderJenna immediately retreated to the kitchen, feeling as if the world had gone grey.

"How do you do it?"

She jumped, turning to the source. Yasir was leaning on the windowsill outside, shaking his head.

"Even though she is just terrible to you, you stay here and do her dirty work and never say anything to defend yourself. Patience must run very deep in your family."

"Well, what else can I do?" She asked.

His eyes brightened. "You can stand up for yourself! Or just go away! I mean, what are you still doing here, anyway? I say we pack up, sneak off in the middle of the night, and live it up in Vegas!"

CinderJenna laughed. "Well, aside from that being impossible, I could never leave here. I have too many memories here." She touched her chair. "And besides, I promised my dad I would keep the family together."

"Do you really think this is what he had in mind, penniless buddy?" He raised an eyebrow.

She thought about that for a moment, then shook her head. "Look, it doesn't matter, okay? There's nothing I can do about it anyway, alright? It's obviously not God's will that I leave here, so just…just forget it. I'm not meant to get out of here, so just drop it."

Before Yasir could protest, they heard an all-too-familiar, three-part-harmony screech.

"CINDERJENNA!"

"I have to go." And she was gone.

Yasir threw his head back and groaned. "Why must being helpful run so deep in my family?"

* * *

><p>"CinderJenna, zip me up." Minerva grinned.<p>

"No, zip me first!" Calliope whined.

"No, me! I'm older!"

'Well, I'm prettier!"

"You? Please."

'It's true!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

'Is too!"

"There you go!" CinderJenna stepped away.

"What?" They answered in unison. They looked behind them to see both their dresses had been zipped.

"Ooo, I look gorgeous!" Calliope twirled around. She was wearing a baby blue dress with mountains upon mountains of frills for a skirt. The bodice couldn't even be seen over all the frills and lace. She wore a large, furry sunhat on her head.

"So do I!" Minerva squealed. Her dress had every pattern you could think of on it. Paisley, flowered, stripes, polka dots, checkered, and various animal prints, all in clashing colors, were sewn onto one dress. Her hat was bright pink and sequined, with beads and feathers hanging off of it for good measure.

"You certainly do, girls." Their mother cooed. Her dress was a flattering dark green with gold trim nearly everywhere. The skirt was almost twice as big as she was, with layers of black tulle underneath it. "CinderJenna, did you wash our gloves?"

"Yes, Stepmother, they're right here." She handed each pair of gloves to their owner, who each snatched them up most viciously.

"Come, girls, it's time to meet my son-in-law!" Lady Tremaine sang.

The girls twittered excitedly and walked out the door to the waiting carriage.

"CinderJenna, be a dear and wash the floors while we're gone. They're simply filthy."

And then she was gone.

CinderJenna just stared at the door for a minute, not moving a muscle. Finally, she walked back to her chair.

"Why do I care?" She laughed. "I mean, why would I want to go to the ball, anyway? All the…dresses and dancing and…"

She scoffed. "Please, I would much rather just sit here. By the fire. Alone."

She sat down, wrapping her arms tightly around herself.

"_**In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be…whatever I want to be.**_" She sang slowly and quietly. "_**On the wing of my fancy, I can fly…anywhere, and the world will open its arms to me.**_"

She suddenly stood up and looked around the room, as if it were made of the finest marble. "_**I am in the royal palace, of all places!**_" She sat down, imagining the royal family sitting at the table, smiling warmly at her. "_**I am chatting with the prince and king and queen.**_" She nodded at each of them, smiling back.

Suddenly catching eyes with someone, she ran towards the door, a big grin on her face. "_**And the color on my two stepsisters' faces is a strange sort of sour apple green.**_" She laughed a little in shock-when did she get so mean?

She suddenly remembered the prince, imagining him with red hair and a kind smile. "_**I am coy and flirtatious when alone with the prince.**_" She grabbed a few forks and positioned them into a fan shape, waving it in front of her face as if embarrassed. "Oh, Your Highness, I'd love to take a walk with you!"

As she realized that that was probably the least coy response ever, she also realized something else. As much as she imagined what it would be like, nothing could compare to what the ball would actually be like. Was she just wishing her life away?

Feeling more deflated than ever, she walked back towards her chair. "_**I'm the belle of the ball in my own little corner. All alone…**_"

She gripped one of the armrests with both hands, desperately holding back tears. After a minute, she folded her hands and shut her eyes tight, tears spilling out of them despite her best efforts.

"God?" She started, her voice shaking. "Why do You want me to stay here? I know I can never understand Your plans, but…I just want one night of happiness. That's all. Why can't You let me have that? I-" She took a deep, stuttering breath. "I just want to go to the ball."

And there CinderJenna sat, just crying and wishing. The silence was crushing.

She suddenly remembered she had to wash the flo-

"_**Fal-der-all and fiddle-dee-dee, fiddledy faddledy fuddle! All the wishes in the world are poppycock and twaddle!**_"

Jumping about ten feet, CinderJenna whipped around to see a woman standing outside her window.

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><p><strong>Cliffhanger! Always a great time.<strong>

**I know my comments have been sparse in this chapter, but I really don't have much to say about it. XD**

**Anywaysies, join us next time!**


	8. Impossible?

**Hey-llo there.**

**I apologize for the delay-just a few more months and then I can write without having to worry about that pesky thing you humans call "homework".**

**Anyway, it's FINALLY my turn to drive. I'm excited, I hope the rest of you are.**

**Welp, no time like the present!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>There was a moment of silence. CinderJenna just stared open-mouthed at the woman, while the woman just waited patiently, a sweet smile on her face.<p>

"Aren't you going to say hello to me, CinderJenna?" She finally asked.

"How-how do you know my name?" The girl in question started backing away from the window. "Who are you? Stay back, I don't want to hurt you!" This last part sounded weak at best.

The woman merely shook her head. "Would you really hurt your guardian angel?"

"My…what?" She stopped.

"Your guardian angel. That's what I am. My name's Angela, by the way." The woman smiled again.

"Wh-you're my-I'm sorry, but I don't believe you. I mean, you don't even have wings." CinderJenna shook her head.

The woman just smiled again. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"My stepmother says not to let strangers in the house." She answered automatically.

Angela sighed. "Fine. I'll show myself in, then."

And the next thing CinderJenna knew, Angela was sitting in her chair.

"What? But you were-" She pointed to the window. "And now you're-"

"Gosh, it's freezing in here. Don't you think it's freezing? Do you mind?" Before she could answer, Angela flipped her red braid over her shoulder and waved her hand at the fireplace, which started up instantly despite the lack of any wood.

She just gaped.

"The Boss doesn't like us to show off, but you looked like you needed some convincing." She winked. "And we actually don't have wings-that's a common misconception. We don't need them to fly."

As if to demonstrate, she flew across the table to CinderJenna, her pure white dress swishing across it.

CinderJenna was far beyond being able to speak at this point-she was lucky she remembered to breathe. She quickly pinched her arm, just to check.

"Hey, penniless buddy, just thought I would-oh, who is this?" Yasir appeared.

"Hi, I'm Angela, her guardian angel." She waved.

Yasir looked her up and down, obviously skeptical. "Do delusions run-"

A row of food suddenly appeared before him. Yasir stared for a moment. "I like your new friend." He said to CinderJenna before diving in.

"I hope you don't have any more skeptical friends-I'm gonna be in enough trouble already." Angela laughed.

This seemed to give CinderJenna her voice back. "So God heard me! You're going to get me out of here! I've always dreamed-"

"_**Fal-der-all and fiddle-dee-dee, fiddledy faddledy foodle!**_" Angela suddenly burst out, causing Yasir to drop the chicken leg he had been about to eat. "_**All the dreamers in the world are dizzy in the noodle!**_"

"Yeesh, warn a guy," He muttered before picking up another leg.

"So…you don't approve of dreaming?" CinderJenna asked.

"Not dreaming itself-everything starts with a dream. But the trouble with most people is that they dream and wish and pray about what they want and what they should do instead of just doing it."

She looked me straight in the eye. "CinderJenna, if you want to get out of here, you're going to have to do it yourself."

"What? I thought God-"

"God will help you, of course. And so will I, and so will many people. But CinderJenna-He can't help you if you do nothing."

"But He's God! He can do anything!" She argued.

"Yes. But that doesn't mean He does. You can't expect God to do everything. He helps those who help themselves."

"Sounds like laziness runs very deep in His family." Yamar commented through a mouthful of roast turkey.

CinderJenna thought this would offend her, but Angela just laughed. "It's not laziness!"

She suddenly put her hands on CinderJenna's shoulders. "He knows you have the power to change this. The music's in you, girl. If you step up to the challenge and trust in Him, the rest will fall into place."

She took this in for a moment. So God hadn't just abandoned her or forced this fate on her for the sake of a better overall world, as she'd often told herself. He was just waiting for her to make a move.

She looked up. "So I can go to the ball tonight?"

"If that's what you want." Angela smiled.

CinderJenna nodded. "It is. More than anything. " She frowned. "But come on. It's impossible!"

Angela nodded. "_**Impossible!**_" She agreed, indicating CinderJenna's work clothes. "_**For, from no style at all, to come a look that's cute and pleasant. Impossible! For the belle of the ball to be a simple country peasant!**_"

CinderJenna looked down. It sounded so silly when she actually heard it out loud. How could she have even dreamed that?

"_**And where in the world will you get a coach and horses?**_" Angela pointed out.

She hadn't even thought of that. Now that was really impossible.

"_**Such fal-der-all and fiddle-dee-dee of courses!**_" She continued. "_**Impossible!**_"

Angela suddenly turned CinderJenna around so they were face-to-face. "_**But our God is strong and wise and so kind,**_" She reminded her. "_**He's always fighting there on our side.**_"

CinderJenna nodded-she remembered her father telling her something like that a few times.

"_**He tries to show everyone the way!**_" She was still singing.

Angela suddenly advanced on CinderJenna, forcing her to step further and further backwards until she fell into her chair. "_**And for those who stop and listen to His plan and act on it as best as they can impossible! Things are happening every day!**_"

"So all I have to do is believe in God and go after what I want?" She asked.

"That's it." Angela smiled again.

CinderJenna took a deep breath. "Okay. I can do that. I'm ready."

"Wonderful! Here's your shopping list." She handed her a piece of paper.

"Wha-shopping list?" This was an unexpected turn.

"Well, yeah! You need a lot for a ball! Don't worry, I've written where you can find everything."

She gave it a look.

_Carriage/Coachman: Blacksmith_

_Horses/Groom: East Farm_

_Dress-Fabric store_

_Hair: 532 Patton Dr._

_Shoes: Glassblowers_

She raised an eyebrow at the last one. "Wait, I think you miswrote something-"

"So here's the deal." Angela ignored her. "You have a good chance of getting to the ball tonight if you can get this all together by ten o' clock."

She looked at the clock, and saw it was 8:05. "What? There's no way-"

"Oh, and you'll need these. Take them with you before you go." Angela handed her a few slips of paper with the address of the house they were standing in written on them.

"What in the world-?"

"Trust in God, CinderJenna. And trust in yourself. Meet me outside the house by ten with everything ready."

She blinked, and Angela was gone.

"Whoa. That was strange. Hey, CinderJenna, are you going to need any help?"

Yasir turned back to see the front door slam itself shut.

"I'll take that as a no." He shrugged, munching on his food.

* * *

><p><strong>Things! They're happening! Yeah.<strong>

**I hope you guys like the rewritten version of Impossible-I'm pretty proud of it myself. :)**

**Well anyway, it's a race against the clock, so hurry up and join us next time!**


	9. The Blacksmith

**Yeah, I know, long time no see. As I said in my other story, this class I was taking was trying to eat me alive. I was so exhausted that I spent most of this week in various stages of sleep. I think this is the first time I've been fully awake all month. XD**

**Anyway, I hate to come back with a kind of filler chapter, especially as it's so disgustingly short, but not much I can do about it, eh? It's important, just not terribly exciting. Hope you like it anyway? Heh heh.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>The blacksmith was the closest, so that was CinderJenna's first stop.<p>

As she approached the small building, she suddenly realized.

"What if he's not even there?" She started talking to herself. "What am I even going to say? Why would he help me, anyway?"

'_Trust in God, CinderJenna. And trust in yourself._'

She took a deep breath. Angela was right. She was going to get one night of happiness and magic in her life if it killed her.

With that cheerful thought in mind, she marched into the blacksmith's shop.

Surprisingly, it was still open, and the blacksmith was still pounding away at something. When he heard the door, he turned around.

'I'm sorry, we're clo-what?" He suddenly looked perplexed.

"What?" She asked, already losing her confidence.

"Well, it's just…you're a young woman!" He asked, as if this were the most astonishing thing he'd ever heard.

"Um…yeah." She answered, unsure what he meant by that and if she should be offended.

"Why are you here instead of at the ball like everyone else in the kingdom?" He asked.

She had no idea how to respond, so she turned it around. "I could ask the same of you."

"Oh, me?" He laughed, revealing a single gold tooth. "I'm not one for getting all dressed up. I don't even think I own a suit. But what about you?"

She took a deep breath. 'That's actually kind of why I'm here. I-" She laughed, nervous. "Okay, I know this is going to sound crazy, but…would you happen to have a carriage…y'know, lying around?"

He stopped his hammer in midair and just stared at her.

After a minute of this, she finally nodded. "I know, it was a crazy question. I'm sorry for bothering you-"

"No, wait!"

She turned back.

"It's just…" He shook his head. "How did you know? Did Marco tell you? I told him not to go blabbing about-"

"No! No no, nobody…I mean, I just…um…" She thought of how to explain it, but came up short. "Um, so do you? Have one, I mean?"

He just smiled. "Come with me."

He walked out the back door of his shop into another room. After a moment's hesitation, CinderJenna followed.

The lights were all off in the room, and the door slammed shut. Before CinderJenna could scream, the lights were thrown back on.

"Ta-dah!" He posed to show his pride, complete with spirit fingers.

She just gasped. She was in a large garage, and in front of her was a huge carriage. It was very rough-looking-just plain, grey metal-but the wheels were intricately patterned, and the carriage itself had a pleasant shape to it that reminded her of a pumpkin.

"It's beautiful!" She breathed.

"It's still a work in progress," He said sheepishly. "I still have a lot of work to do, but it's almost done."

"Would you be able to get it done by ten?" She asked.

"Oh, absolutely!" He nodded. "It would be a crime to not let a young girl enjoy herself."

"Thank you so much!" She smiled widely.

"Not at all! And don't worry about pay-just don't tell anyone I did this." He whispered. "All the other guys see me as a tough guy, y'know? If they found out I was building pretty carriages on the side-"

"My lips are sealed," She giggled. She couldn't believe it-this might actually happen!

"You're a lifesaver….um…"

"CinderJenna." She shook his hand.

"…Okay." He looked puzzled, but plowed through. "I'm Chuck. So, uh, where should I bring it when it's done?"

"Um, it's at-" She suddenly remembered the slips. "Oh, here!" She gave him one.

"Alright, then!" He smiled. "I'd better get to work!" He pulled some paints out of a hidden door.

"Bye! And thank you!"

CinderJenna walked out. "_That wasn't so bad after all! Maybe I can do this_." She grinned to herself.

She looked at the clock. 8:30, and she still had quite a few more stops. She ran to her next stop, more hopeful than she'd ever felt before.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's the way it was, folks.<strong>

**Next chapter's MUCH more interesting, promise.**

**Hope to see you all in the next installment, which will definitely be up faster than this one was!**


	10. The Farm

**Party people in the house say YEAH!**

**So I'm SOOOO close to being done with school for the year-just two more days, man! Unfortunately, those two days are going to include a 6-8 page research paper, a final exam, and moving everything I own out of my dorm room in this blistering heat when I live on the fourth floor of my building.**

**And since that's gonna be crazy and probably leave me exhausted for a few days, I thought I'd update this to tide y'all over for a while.**

**Reviewer response? I think yes.**

**Galaxina-the-Seedrian: Is it bad that I immediately thought of Larry yelling, "GET TO THE CHOPPA!"? I think it is. Hey, there is nothing wrong with being a fangirl. *huggles plush Companion Cube and plush Atta simultaneously* And I'm honored that you're a fangirl over my story. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!**

**magictoast15: Hey you! I'm glad you still like it, despite it being driven by me now. Hope you like this chapter as well!**

**So like I said, this chapter's much more interesting than the last one, not to mention much longer. Huzzah!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>CinderJenna went to the farm next. She'd never been to this part of town before, so she was uneasy. Plus, the list didn't say <em>who<em> was supposed to be the groom. Was she just supposed to know?

She ran Angela's words through her mind again, and started to walk towards the house.

**WHAM!**

"Ow!" CinderJenna rubbed her head. Someone had just hit her with something small, but very hard-a rock?

She was suddenly bombarded by them and covered her face with her hands.

"Who's doing that? OW! Show yourselv-AH!" The rocks may have been small, but they hurt pretty bad.

The bombardment stopped, and she looked up to see two boys and a girl with slingshots, looking defiantly at her.

"Who are you, an' why are you here?" The redheaded boy asked.

"Um, I'm-"

"You're old enough, shouldn't you be at the ball?" The girl with the pigtails and freckles challenged.

"Well, see, that's just-"

"And why would you be here late at night anyways?" The redhead spoke again.

"I was just-"

"Let's get 'er!" The girl cheered.

"Wait, guys!" The blonde boy stopped them. "We have to let her answer before we chase her out, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," The redhead nodded.

CinderJenna waited a moment to make sure she wouldn't be hit with more rocks before speaking. "Well, uh, to answer the first question, my name is CinderJenna, and to-"

"CinderJenna? That ain't a name!" The girl laughed.

'Well, it's kind of a nickname." She admitted. "But anyway-"

"Wait! I remember you!" The blonde boy shouted.

"You…you do?" That wasn't the answer she was expecting at all.

"Yeah! I'm James, remember?" He said, sounding excited.

She quickly racked her memory banks for the name James. Suddenly it hit her. "Oh yeah!"

* * *

><p><em>She was out in the village, doing errands for her stepmother and stepsisters. She read over the shopping list again, trying to figure out the fastest route to get everything done as fast as possible.<em>

"_Mom? Dad?"_

_It was a tiny voice, but she heard it, and it sounded on the verge of tears. Instinctively, she followed it._

_After weaving through the thick crowds, she spotted a boy with blonde hair hiding under an unattended flower cart. He was curled up in a ball and sobbing._

"_Hey, what's wrong?" She crawled over to where he was._

"_I don't know where my mom and dad are! They were right in front of me and then I saw a puppet show so I walked over to it for a second and when I turned around they were gone and now I can't find them and I may never find them and then I'll just be lost forever and ever and ever!" He started crying all over again._

"_Hey, hey, calm down." She took out her handkerchief and held it to his nose. "Here, blow._

_He blew his nose noisily, then sniffed and looked up at her._

"_How about I help you find your parents?"_

"_Really?" His eyes widened with hope._

"_Sure! I'll bet they're worried sick about where you are. C'mon." She held out a hand and helped him out from under the cart._

"_Thanks, ma'am." He smiled, wiping his eyes._

"_Oh, please, no ma'am stuff. I'm CinderJenna." She smiled down at him._

"_CinderJenna?" He laughed. "That's not a name."_

"_Well, it's more of a nickname. And you are?"_

"_I'm James!" He announced, puffing out his chest to look manlier._

_She laughed. "Pleasure to meet you, James. Now let's go find your parents!"_

_They walked all around the village, holding hands so as not to get separated. The boy couldn't see much from his viewpoint, but tried his best to identify people. CinderJenna tried looking for two people looking stressed out of their minds._

_Finally, near the bakery, she spotted two people who fit the bill. The woman was looking around frantically, looking like she was just about to cry. The man had his arm around her shoulder, desperately trying to comfort her while scanning the crowd just as frantically._

_She smiled, and lifted James up. "That them?"_

_He broke out into a grin. "Mom! Dad!"_

_She put him down, and he rushed to his parents, who threw their arms around him in relief. _

_CinderJenna smiled, then suddenly remembered her list._

"_Oh no!" She ran to the center of town, trying desperately to remember the route she'd made up earlier._

* * *

><p>She couldn't believe her luck.<p>

"Should we hit her?' The redhead asked, looking back and forth between me and James.

"No! She's cool, Tom." James assured the freckled boy.

"Aw, man!" He threw down his slingshot. "That was the most fun I've had since we made all that cheese."

"So how come you're not at the ball?" The girl asked. "I mean, I'd go if I was old enough."

"Yer not purty enough to go, Rosie," Tom teased.

"Shut up!" The two stared a wrestling match.

CinderJenna looked to James, who just shrugged. "They're fine."

"Are you sure?" She looked back over at the mess of limbs and insults.

"Yeah, they do that a lot. So whatcha need?" He asked.

"Well…horses. And a groom." She said, fidgeting a little.

"I dunno what a groom is, but we've got horses!"

He led her over to the nearby stable and opened the doors.

Inside were four beautiful white horses.

"Wow," She gasped. "They're beautiful."

"Yep. I just brushed 'em yesterday." James drew himself up proudly.

"OY! JAMES!"

"Uh-oh." He shrunk.

CinderJenna looked where the noise came from, and saw an angry old man running up to them. Uh-oh was right.

"I take one measly nap, and look what happens! Your cousins are fighting, and you're showing our horses to a complete stranger! What am I gonna do with you kids?" He fumed.

"She's not a stranger, Grandpa! This is CinderJenna! She helped me find Mom and Dad that one time I got lost!"

"I-I apologize for intruding. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," She stuck her hand out.

He looked at her for a moment, then smiled and shook her hand "Not many kids your age have manners. I respect that. It's nice to meet you too, Miss…Cinder-Jenna, was it?"

"That's right, sir." She nodded.

"Well, CinderJenna, what brings you to our humble farm? A girl like you should be at the ball!"

"Yes, that's why I'm here. I need horses and a groom for my carriage." She explained.

"Well, our horses are used to pulling things, so they're perfect. And seein' as none of the other adults are around and I understand horses better than anyone in this village, I'd be more than happy to be your groom."

"Really? That would be great!" She smiled broadly.

"Not at all. It's the least I could do to thank you for helping my grandson." He put an arm around James.

CinderJenna smiled, a bit jealous, before coming back. "So just meet here with the horses at ten, then?" She handed him one of the slips.

"Will do!" He saluted.

"Great, thank you so much!" She couldn't help herself-she gave him a hug. Everything was going so well!

It was then she remembered everything else she had to do. "Right, I'm sorry, but I have to go-"

"Where?" James asked.

"The fabric shop-"

"Oh, that'll be closed. Elizabeth went to the ball."

"She did?" Her heart sank-she couldn't go without a dress!

"Wait, Layla will still be there! She'll open the door if I'm with you! Can I go, Grandpa? Please please please?" James begged.

"I'll bring him straight back, I promise!" She added.

He laughed. "Go on, you crazy kids."

"Yay! Come on!" James ran ahead, CinderJenna hot on his heels.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's all settled then, isn't it?<strong>

**Next chapter, you all finally get to know what the dress looks like! Isn't that exciting?**

**Until then, dear readers!**


	11. The Seamstress

**SCHOOOOOOOL'S OUT! FOR! SUMMER!**

**After getting everything done and a few days of therapeutic video games and chocolate, I am back in business! It's so nice to have the whole day (okay, let's be honest, night) to write, let me tell you what!**

**Respond, yes?**

**Galaxina-the-Seedrian: Oh, you don't know the half of it. ;) Stick around and see just how good it gets! I'm raising your expectations too much, aren't I? Oh well.**

**So despite my love of dresses (I swear, it's the only evidence I have that I am, in fact, a girl), I'm terrible at describing them the way I see them. I pretty much designed this dress on the Princess Maker thing on the Doll Divine website, so if you're having trouble picturing it, I suggest going there. You'll figure out which parts I used pretty easily (hopefully). **

**Also, I definitely don't use parentheses too much. Never. (Well, maybe sometimes.)**

**Onward to adventure!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>CinderJenna and James got to the fabric store in record time. CinderJenna quickly knocked on the door.<p>

"We're closed!" They heard a girl's voice call out.

"It's me, Layla!" James called back.

The door opened. "Oh, hey, Ja-" She gasped. "Look out, there's someone behind you!"

"I know. This is my friend, CinderJenna."

"Nice to meet you." I waved.

Her eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh, you're that girl who helped James out when he was crying cause he lost his parents!"

"Hey! I was not crying!" James responded.

"My mom said you were."

"Well, I wasn't."

"You were too!"

'Was not!"

'Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"STOP!"

The two kids immediately turned to her.

She let herself smile inwardly for a moment. _'I've wanted to do that to my stepsisters for years._'

"Listen, Layla, I need your help." She started. "I really want to go to the ball tonight, but I don't have a dress, and I don't have much money. Any chance you could…I don't know, lend me one or something?"

The girl thought for a moment, then smiled. "I've got something better than a loan. Come with me."

James and CinderJenna followed Layla into a basement, where there were hundreds of clothes.

"These are rejects. Y'know, clothes my mom messed up on and stuff. And there's this one dress, right? It's _super_ super pretty, but my dog got at it and ripped one of the sleeves. My mom was just making it for show anyway, so she never fixed it and stuck it down here. And that was, like, a year ago and she's never mentioned it since, plus it's really far in the back, so I think my mom forgot about it. But if we sewed the sleeve back on, you could wear it to the ball and keep it or whatever and my mom would never know!"

"I'll probably bring it back, anyway," CinderJenna said quickly. She still felt bad taking it, plus there was no way she'd be able to hide it from her stepfamily.

"Okay, whatever." Layla shrugged, looking through the racks. "Ah-ha!"

She pulled the dress off the rack. She was right-it did look to be in pretty bad shape on the right side-there was a big rip where the sleeve used to be, and the bodice was a mess of shreds. But the rest of the dress was not only untouched, but breathtaking. It was a beautiful bright lilac color with a full skirt. It had short sleeves (well, sleeve at the moment) with a long piece of fabric hanging off the end of the sleeve. The neckline was scooped enough to be flattering, but not nearly enough to be revealing. It was so simple and perfect.

She shook herself out of it. "Well, I have no sewing experience, and I doubt James does, so you're going to have to guide us on this one."

"Sure thing! I've been so bored all night-this'll be fun!" She ran up the stairs with the dress, and James and I followed behind.

"Okay so first we have to sew the bodice back up which means we need the sewing machine and I'm not old enough to use the sewing machine so CinderJenna can you use it?" Layla got this all out in one breath.

"She's a bit of a motormouth," James whispered.

"I heard that!" Layla fumed.

"So how does this thing work?" CinderJenna asked both as a legitimate question and a way to avoid another fight.

"Well, you pump your foot on that pedal, and then move the fabric down until it's all sewn up. Just stop when I tell you to."

"Okay…" She looked at the large needle, trying not to imagine all the horrible things that could go wrong, the least of which concerned the actual dress.

"_God, please help me,_" She prayed, and then started.

It was actually a lot easier than she thought, and was over pretty quickly.

"Stop!" Layla said, and she did after jumping about five feet in the air.

Layla inspected it. "It's good, CinderJenna! The stitches are pretty even!"

She smiled, feeling accomplished.

"Now I just have to make the sleeve and then sew it onto the dress. OH! We should check how it fits first so we can make adjustments and stuff. Go try it on, come on, come on!"

Layla plopped the dress in CinderJenna's hands and shooed her into another room.

There was a moment of pause where James and Layla could hear the sounds of undressing and dressing, then a pause.

"No way…" They heard her whisper.

"What?" James asked.

"It fits perfectly!" They heard her say, sounding stunned.

"What? Let me see!" Layla walked in. James tried to come in too, but Layla shoved him out.

"Hey! No boys allowed!" And she shut the door.

After a brief moment, Layla came out. "Wow. It does fit perfectly."

"Wow. What are the chances?' James asked.

"Alright. James, you're going to be fetching and cutting fabric while I sew the sleeve." She ordered.

"What? I don't want to do this girly sewing stuff!" He crossed his arms in defiance.

"Do you want to help CinderJenna or not?"

James considered this, then sighed. "Fine."

"Excellent. First, find me some fabric in the same color as the dress."

And they went on like that for a while-Layla sewing, James cutting and fetching more fabric, and CinderJenna offering her arm for measurements whenever needed.

After what seemed like forever, the sleeve was finally done and hand-sewn back onto the dress.

CinderJenna gave Layla a hug when it was all over.

"Thank you so much, Layla. I owe you big time."

"No, thank _you_. You saved me from dying of boredom." She laughed.

"Layla, can you bring the dress to this address at ten?" CinderJenna handed her one of the slips.

"But…aren't you going to wear it now?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Not yet. I still have some things to take care of."

That reminded her, and she looked at the clock. It was 8:59.

"James, can you get back home safely?" She asked, feeling guilty-she _had_ promised to walk him back, after all.

"No worries, I'll be fine." James nodded.

"Okay. I have to go, but thanks guys!" And she ran out the door.

'_More than halfway there. I can do this.'_ CinderJenna kept telling herself as she sprinted to her next destination.

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><p><strong>Oh, I do so love the next chapter.<strong>

**This one was good, too, but I REALLY love these next two coming up. I'm looking forward to it, so I hope you guys are, too.**

**See ya then, folks!**


	12. The Stylists

**Lookit me, updating efficiently! Good job, me!**

**Self-aggrandizing congratulations aside, I quite like this chapter. Some Scallion action up in here, y'know.**

**Reviewer response is a go, cap'n!**

**Galaxina-the-Seedrian: Glad you thought so! I hope you like this chapter, too, despite its lack of dresses. But hairstyles are in this one!**

**I considered putting a bunch of hair puns in here for my own amusement, but I realized that's not my style. I didn't want to leave you guys out to dry like that. I mean, what kind of greasy author would that make me? I guess I'm just conditioned to be polite. The volume of my kindness is quite overwhelming, when you think about it. But I'm rambling, so I'd better cut this short.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Now came the unpredictable part. She really had no clue how going to this random house would help her with her hair. It seemed to be a pretty average house, and the only clue she had to go on was their last name, which was Capelli, if the mailbox was any indication.<p>

By this point, though, she had a feeling this would somehow work out. At least, she hoped it did. With that in mind, she boldly knocked on the door.

This time, no one answered. Raising an eyebrow, she knocked again. "Hello? Is anyone home?"

The door opened a crack. "Leave us alone!" And it slammed shut, causing CinderJenna to jump.

"Please!" She knocked on the door again. "It's really important!"

"No thank you! We already have one!" A different voice spoke through the door.

CinderJenna raised an eyebrow, then shook her head. "Please, I don't have anyone else to go to! I need my hair fixed and everything else ready by 10 for the ball tonight!"

There was a collective gasp from inside, followed by a long silence.

Finally, the door opened a crack, revealing a tall man with slicked back hair. CinderJenna could barely make out the outlines of two other men behind him.

"You want US to do your hair?" He asked tentatively. "Do you know who we are?"

"Um…the Capellis?" She guessed.

"Who recommended us to you?" The man looked her over.

"Well…look, that's not important. You're the only people I can turn to for help."

He looked down, then back up at her with sad eyes. "Miss, come inside for a moment."

She did so, feeling a bit nervous. The other two men followed close behind the first.

The house was small, and fairly dark-only a few candles created the sparse light.

"Miss…erm, I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." The first man turned back to her.

"Oh, it's CinderJenna." She said, trying to get a good look at the house with much difficulty.

He gave her a look, but pressed on. "Well, um…CinderJenna, we-that is, my brothers and I-used to own a business. It was a business that dealt strictly in styling and cutting hair."

"Wow! I've never heard of that before!" She was in awe.

"Well, not to brag, but we were pretty well-renowned." He smiled, and his brothers did, too. "But then one day..._she_ showed up."

"She ruined us!" One of the brothers suddenly cried.

"How could she?" The third lamented.

"Gentlemen, please." The first brother calmed them before turning back to his audience. "A woman came in and asked us to do her hair for her wedding. We had never done a wedding before, so we worked our hardest on her hair. This was the finished product."

He took out a photograph and handed it to CinderJenna.

She had to hold back a gasp. The woman was her stepmother when she was younger. She was wearing a white dress and smiling. '_This was from…_'

She tried not to think about that, and instead focused on the hairstyle. Her hair was done in an elaborate yet delicate updo, with the veil sitting perfectly in the middle.

"Wow, she looks great!" She smiled at the brothers, hoping they didn't know she had a close relation with the woman who ruined them.

"Yes, we thought so, too. But she took one look in the mirror and let out the most awful screech I've ever heard. She hated it."

"Pulled all the pins out with her bare hands." The second brother reminisced.

"Like she had no idea how long that hairstyle took us to make!" The third sulked.

"Well, she not only refused to pay, she swore to slander our good name. Which is exactly what she did. People stopped coming to our store. We were forced to close." The first man hung his head, appearing on the verge of tears.

"Oh my gosh, that's awful." CinderJenna put a hand on his shoulder, feeling somewhat responsible.

"I'm sorry, Miss CinderJenna, but I'm afraid we would only make things worse for you." He continued.

"We're not that good." The second brother sniffed.

"Awful, really." The third hung his head.

"Now hold on!"

Even CinderJenna was surprised at this outburst, never mind the three brothers. They immediately looked up at her with wide eyes.

"You can't let one person control your life that much! It doesn't matter how much influence they have, or how much power you think they have over you-you're still in charge of you!" CinderJenna realized she was also partially talking to herself. "God gave you wonderful talents. He's the one who decides your fate, not someone else. And he can't help you if you don't put yourself out there. You guys are excellent at hair-I mean, this hairstyle is amazing!" She waved the picture. "And I know you can make my hair look great, too. What do you say, boys?"

There was a long silence. Finally, the third brother slowly walked over to her. He got really close, and CinderJenna backed away a little.

He walked behind her and inspected her hair. "Very thin. We'll have to get some volume in there." He remarked.

"Yes, and the color doesn't exactly have the wow factor for a big event." The second retorted. "But it's long-we can do a lot with it."

"Alright then!" The first brother smiled. "Let's get started!"

He led her into a room, and clapped to turn the lights on.

The room was small, but amazing. There was a swivel chair in the center that faced a large vanity. The vanity had a three-in-one mirror, with the two on the end angled in. The walls were covered in shelves that had all sorts of bottles, scissors, brushes, combs, and strange devices on them.

"Come, come, sit." The first brother led her to the chair and put a black cape around her neck.

"Now, is there anything specific you need from us?" He asked.

"Well, just don't cut it. Or change the color of it." CinderJenna didn't even want to think of how she would explain that to her stepmother.

"We can do that." The second brother smiled.

"No problem!" The third smiled as well. The two were both grabbing things off the shelves.

"Perfect. I'm thinking something simple, yet elegant. Boys, what do you think?" The first asked.

"Well, her fine hair would make an updo pretty easy."

"That's true."

"Should we curl it?"

"Nah, let's go for straight. Everyone will have curly hair."

"Yeah, you're right."

"What do you think? Braids?"

CinderJenna tapped her fingers under the cape, and looked at the clock. It was 9. She only had an hour to do this and her shoes.

"Alright then!" Apparently they had reached a conclusion. "Since we're running low on time, we'll just mist your hair rather than wash it."

They turned CinderJenna away from the mirror as they began to work.

She expected this to hurt. When she had watched her stepmother style her sisters' hair, they had let out various cries of pain. She had shushed them, telling them that beauty knew no pain.

But these guys were really gentle-they never pulled her hair or accidentally stuck a pin into her skull. '_They really are pros,_' She thought.

Finally, they stepped back and looked at her.

"Oh, doesn't she look pretty!" The third brother grinned.

"Spectacular!" The second agreed.

"Well done, men." The first nodded at his brothers.

"Can I turn around now?"

"Oh, please do!" They all said in unison.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to the mirrors.

She gasped, not believing her eyes. Her hair was in a bun on top of her head. Actually, the shape of it looked more like a flower than a bun. Her own hair was wrapped around the elastic so that it was invisible. When she turned her head, the bun didn't move. It didn't feel too tight, but it certainly didn't feel like it was going to fall out. It was so simple, but that's why she loved it.

"Oh! Oh! I have an idea!" The second brother dashed off to one of the shelves. "Close your eyes."

Warily, she did as she was told. She heard him walk back over and felt him place something on her head.

"There! Perfect!" He smiled.

"Oh, nice!" The first said.

"Good touch!" The third agreed.

She opened her eyes again. He had placed a small, plain silver tiara on her head. She reached up and touched it gently, as if afraid it would burn her if she did.

"Do you like it?' The first brother asked. She could see their anxious faces through the mirror.

She stood up and gave them all a huge hug. "I love it. You guys are geniuses. I can never thank you enough for this."

"Aw, shucks." The third brother kicked his foot bashfully.

"It was nothin' really." The second shrugged, looking at his feet.

"Just doing our job, Miss CinderJenna." The first man bowed gracefully.

She smiled. "Well, thank you. I'll be sure to tell everyone how wonderful you are."

With that, she said her goodbyes and sprinted out the door. She only had a half hour to get shoes from the glassblower. '_Well, at the very least, this will be interesting._' She tried.

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><p><strong>And th-hair you have it! Now could you guys please stop throwing things at me? I'm a Pungeon Master, it's what I do.<strong>

**Only one more chapter (or is it two? lol I don't remember) and then we're off to the ball, y'all!**

**Until then, keep your noses (and your hair) clean!**


	13. The Glassblowers

**Ahoy, mateys! Sorry for the late update-job hunting is hard. I think tiger hunting would actually be easier. But anyway.**

**Galaxina-the-Seedrian: Yeah, I can definitely see that side of the argument, as I was on it until I got the dress for my very first dance. Anywaysies, I'm glad you liked that one, and even though this one's much shorter, hopefully you'll enjoy this one too!**

**Gettin' close to the end of Act 1, guys! **

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Her last stop. CinderJenna stood outside the glassblower's shop.<p>

"How in the world are they going to get me shoes?" She asked out loud. "And why couldn't I go to the cobbler?"

But she didn't have time to question. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.

The orange-haired man poked his head out. "Hey-"

She didn't have the time or patience to go through the same questions again. "My name is CinderJenna, I know I should be at the ball, that's why I need your help, and is there any possible way you could get me some shoes?"

The man's eyes widened. "What was that last part?"

"I said, can you get me some shoe-"

"Shh!" He then shouted. "No, sorry, Miss, I'm afraid we can't help you! I'm very sorry, please move along, we're closed now-"

"No!" She stood her ground. "I have to be ready in less than 30 minutes, and I need shoes. I was told expressly to go to you, so please, if you have shoes I really, really need them!"

"Did she say shoes?" A voice was heard from inside.

"Oh, no." The man sighed.

A blonde man who was obviously related to the redheaded man came out, looking excited. "Vincent, did someone say they needed shoes?"

"No, Victor!" He tried to push his brother back inside. "Why would any-"

"I need shoes!" She interrupted.

"Oh boy! Have I got the thing for you!" Victor jumped up and down in excitement.

"Victor, no! They're experimental, they're not ready for testing yet!" Vincent scolded him.

"I don't care, may I please see them?" She begged.

"Come on in!" Victor led her in, much to Vincent's dismay.

There was a pedestal all the way in the back of the store with a piece of fabric over it hiding its contents from view.

"This…" Victor indicated the pedestal. "is the latest in footwear technology. It's the Spectacular Lovely Indescribable Pair of Pumps Everyone Requires for Stunning-ness."

"S.L.I.P.P.E.R.S. for short." Vincent added in a monotone.

"Ta-dah!" He lifted the fabric up dramatically.

CinderJenna gaped at the shoes. They were very beautiful, and the heels weren't too high, thank goodness, but…

"Glass shoes?" She questioned. "Won't those hurt my feet when I dance?"

"We thought of that. Feel the inside." He lifted the glass case to allow this.

Tentatively, she touched the inside of the shoe.

"Whoa!" She immediately pulled her hand back. "It's…squishy!"

"Yep. Comfort insoles. I don't think those will catch on as much as the shoes themselves, though. Go on, try them on!"

"If they're her size, I'll eat my hat." Vincent mumbled.

Very, very carefully, CinderJenna picked up the shoes, put them on the ground, and slipped her feet into them. Judging by how the rest of the night had gone, she really didn't know why she was surprised by what happened next.

"They fit perfectly." She breathed.

"What?" Vincent's head shot up.

"Would you like peanut butter or jelly with your hat?" Victor smiled victoriously.

Vincent just glared at him.

"Thank you so much!" CinderJenna grinned. "But I don't have any money to-"

"Money? Please! If they don't kill you, keep 'em!" Vincent said harshly.

"Think of it as a test run." Victor smiled.

CinderJenna smiled back, then jumped. "What time is it?"

"9:50. Why?" Victor turned back, and she was gone.

"Better start saving up, bro. We're going to need the money for the lawsuit she gives us for destroying her feet." Vincent quipped.

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><p><strong>That was Jimmy and Jerry, if you couldn't tell. I don't feel like these two were as clear as the others. If you're still confused about characters, feel free to drop me a line.<strong>

**Well, shopping's done. Now all she needs to do is go to the ball. I'm sure the ball will be completely uneventful and routine. (SARCASM SPHERE SELF-TEST COMPLETE)**

**Tune in next time for the exciting conclusion of Act 1! (Sorry, I like calling them Acts cause I'm a theater kid.)**


	14. It's Possible!

**Hey! Been a while, huh? I hope all my fellow American readers had a good Fourth of July, and my non-American readers had a pleasant day on July 4****th**** as well.**

**Responses to reviewers maybe?**

**Galaxina-the-Seedrian: Had to go back and check, but yeah, other way around. I knew it wasn't clear. *looks at hand* Curse you, writing tool! *writing tool slaps writer in the face* Should have seen that coming, really. I'm sane, I swear. Anyway, that compliment made my day. Okay, my week. Fine, my entire life. I'm glad you think so highly of it. *happy face forever* And for your efforts, you apparently get a filler chapter. Heh heh. Don't tase me, bro.**

**magictoast15: Hey, welcome back! You sure have to catch up to this story a lot. Is that your way of saying it's moving too fast? Cause if so, that's a genius metaphor. Anyway, hope this chapter doesn't make you fall behind again!**

**Ilovethehgbooks: Wow! Thank you so much! I tried to make it as close as possible, so I'm really happy that it delivers! :D Hope you enjoy the rest of the story just as much! (I may have overused the exclamation point. Oh well.)**

**And now, for the exciting conclusion of Act 1!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>CinderJenna finally made it back to her house, panting as she stopped in front of it.<p>

"Hey, CinderJenna!" The blacksmith waved. He was standing next to the carriage, which was now painted bright orange and green. Now it really did look like a pumpkin, and CinderJenna loved it.

"Ol' Lavoro got it painted pretty good, huh?" He praised himself.

"It looks great." She smiled, thrilled that she'd made it.

The horses were tied to the front, and James' grandpa was brushing them. He gave her a wave when he saw her.

"Layla's dropped your dress off. It's inside!" He called.

"Thank you!" She ran into the house.

The dress was lying on the living room table. After allowing herself a moment to just look at it, she quickly changed into it.

Then came the moment of truth. With a deep breath, she walked into view of the full-length hall mirror.

She couldn't believe it was her. The girl in the mirror didn't look like she scrubbed floors and did errands all day long. This girl didn't have to dream about wonderful things happening to her. This girl looked…well, like a princess.

"Congratulations, CinderJenna."

She turned to see Angela smiling proudly at her. "I knew you could do it."

"I'm really going to the ball, aren't I?" She was almost crying.

"Yes, you are." Angela nodded.

CinderJenna gave her a tight hug. "Thank you, Angela. Thank you for all of this."

"Me?" She laughed. "I didn't do anything. This was between you and God."

CinderJenna smiled, feeling more confident than ever.

"Well, why did nobody tell me a princess was coming to the house?"

CinderJenna smiled at Yasir, whom had just entered. "You even have an entourage and everything!" He pointed to the front door, indicating the carriage and people outside.

She laughed. "Pretty crazy, huh?"

"Come on, CinderJenna, we have to get going." Angela reminded her

"Oh yeah!" She started to walk out the door, then stopped.

She turned back to Yasir.

_'At least I'm guaranteed to get fed every day,'_ She thought. '_If anyone deserves a night in a palace with endless food, it's him._'

With that, she bolted up the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Yasir called after her.

She quickly went through the broom closet across from her parents' old room.

"Ah-ha!" She pulled out one of her father's old suits. Miraculously, it still looked good as new.

She ran back downstairs and shoved the suit into Yasir's hands. "Quick, put this on."

He looked at it. "And I must do this why?" He asked.

"Well, you don't _have_ to come with if you don't want to." CinderJenna said, halfway between joking and serious.

It took him a minute to process this. "Penniless buddy…" He whispered, before giving her a big bear hug.

"Oh, generosity, kindness….what the heck, being an amazing person in general must run very, very deep in your family!" He sobbed.

She choked a little, but hugged him back. "Okay, okay. Now hurry up and change."

He ran to do so, and CinderJenna walked outside.

"Your carriage, Miss." Lavoro opened the door for me.

She still couldn't believe this was really happening. She stepped into the carriage, admiring the soft upholstered seats.

"So, CinderJenna." Angela said from outside the carriage. "Was that so impossible?"

"It certainly wasn't easy…"

Angela laughed at that.

"But no. It was very possible."

Yasir hurried into the carriage.

"How do I look? Dashing, right? Devilishly handsome, yes?" He grinned as he sat down.

"You look great, Yasir." CinderJenna assured him.

"Let's get going!" Grandpa cheered.

He snapped the reins, and the horses were off.

She was going. She was really going. She had to keep repeating it to herself to remind her it was really happening.

If the CinderJenna of two hours ago saw the CinderJenna of now, she wouldn't have believed her eyes.

"_**It's possible!**_" She beamed. "_**For, from no style at all, to come a look so cute and pleasant!**_"

"_**It's possible!**_**" **Yasir smiled at her. "_**For the belle of the ball to be a simple country peasant!**_"

"_**And look how easily you found a coach and horses!**_" The two jumped and whipped around to see Angela floating outside the window, keeping up with the carriage. She grinned at their reactions. "_**Such fal-der-all and fiddle-dee-dee of courses! Quite possible!**_"

"_**It's possible!**_" They all sang.

"_**For our God is strong and wise and so kind.**_" CinderJenna smiled up to the sky.

Angela looked up and smiled as well, before looking back to CinderJenna. "_**He's always fighting there on our side.**_" She nodded.

"_**He tries to show everyone the way,**_" Yasir added.

"_**And for those who stop and listen to his plan and act on it as best as they can impossible! Things are happening every day!**_" All three of them could barely contain their excitement.

"_**It's possible!**_" CinderJenna breathed as she looked out the window.

"_**It's possible!**_" Yasir nodded, having a look for himself.

"_**It's possible!**_" She turned back around, and jumped about ten feet in the air-Angela was sitting right next to her.

"_**It's possible!**_" Angela shrugged.

After CinderJenna got over the shock, she grabbed Angela's arm, grinning from ear to ear. "_**It's possible!**_"

"_**It's possible!**_" Angela pointed out the window. Yasir and CinderJenna looked, and could see the palace up ahead. With all its lights and sparkling outer surface, it looked like a paradise.

"_**It's possible!**_" They all sang as the carriage approached the palace.

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><p><strong>I've only ever heard Khalil rap, but I'm sure he's a good singer as well.<strong>

**Next up: THE BALL. For real.**

**Catch ya around, folks!**


	15. Intermission

***nervous laugh* Hey guys. What goes on?**

**Yeah, I know, I know, it's been more than a month since I updated, and I'm really sorry. There's only one reason for that, and that's my own stupidity. **

**You see, when I wrote this, I knew there would be a Silly Song, and wrote about half of it while I was writing the first draft. But then I completely forgot about it and started uploading chapters willy-nilly. I remembered right after I submitted the previous chapter, which was incredibly fortunate as this was the only place I felt it appropriate to put the song. However, it also meant I had to completely finish writing the song before I submitted anything else. So that's what I've been doing this whole month-writing this song. The first half was so easy, I thought the rest would be, too, but alas.**

**So anyway, I need to talk about this song a little. The tune and some of the words are from The Lonely Island's "Jack Sparrow". Don't know it? Well, if you are under the age of 18 and/or don't care for cussing, I would recommend searching for a clean version (there is no official one, but there are several unofficial ones up) on the ol' YouTube. It might seem kind of weird to connect The Lonely Island to VeggieTales, but the setup of the song and especially the music video seemed like the perfect Silly Song fodder. I immediately saw Larry in the way Michael Bolton handled that song. xD**

**But yeah, if you don't know it, please look it up, even if it's a clean version. Otherwise, you won't get the gist of the tune or anything. As much as I'd love to write my own songs, 1. I can't write music because 2. I can't read notes and anyway 3. I wouldn't be able to put them in the story anyway. So rewritten covers it is! THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO SAY I DON'T OWN THE SONG JACK SPARROW OR THE LONELY ISLAND OR MICHAEL BOLTON OR JOHNNY DEPP OR ANYTHING RELATED TO THAT SONG PLEASE DON'T SUE ME KTHXBAI.**

**Oh *SHIRT*! I almost forgot reviewer response! First the Silly Song, now this. *shakes head* Disappointment in self. (Two WheezyWaiter references within a sentence of each other makes up for it though. Slightly.)**

**Well, I guess it's not that bad, because there aren't any! Well, that's what I get for not remembering crucial parts of stories I write.**

**BUT! Thanks to the shiny new Fanfiction dot net design, I can now see who has followed and fav'd this story, so Imma acknowledge them! So if I haven't said it already, thanks to my alerts, Galaxina-the-Seedrian and magictoast15, as well as the people who apparently rank this story among their favorites, those people being Imagenary26, picklevictory, Ilovethehgbooks, and Galaxina-the-Seedrian (dang, girl, you're hardcore). Also, to picklevictory, I read your username in Ron's voice and laughed more than I should have. Way more. I am quite jelly of your cool pen name, and hope to hear your lovely voice in a review one of these days.**

**You know your author's note is too long when it takes up more than a page in Word. Pretty sure it's longer than the song. Don't care, though, cause it's almost 2 in the morning, and I'm sleepy. Not even gonna read it over again, so there's gonna be errors, but brain no care. Brain is sorry, though.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>(<em>Fade up on title card showing the silhouettes of the Boyz in the Sink. The words "Party Songs with Boyz in the Sink is written in graffiti-type font around them.<em>)

Announcer: And now it's time for-oh, right, sorry. (_paper rustling_) Yo, man, time for Party Songs with Boyz in the Sink, the part of the show where the Boyz in the Sink come out and sing a Party Song. Word.

(_The title cad sweeps away to Mr. Lunt, Jimmy, and Junior posing. The slowly notice Larry isn't there.)_

Mr. Lunt: (_through his teeth, trying not to break his pose_) Larry, get out here.

Larry: (_offstage_) Hold on, I'm not done with my ice cream yet.

Jimmy: Oh, for crying out loud! You can eat your ice cream later! Get out here!

Larry: (_enters_) Oh, fine.

(_They pose again, and flash to a backyard birthday party as the beat kicks in_)

Mr. Lunt: (_slightly rapping_) **We're the Boyz. **

**In the Sink.**

Junior: (sings) _**Yeeeah-heah!**_

Mr. Lunt: **Together on the track. **

**The Boyz are back.**

Background singers: _**The party starts-**_

Mr. Lunt: **Party starts now, come on, roll with us**

**Everybody turns their necks when we roll on up**

**Bust through the screen door, no holdin' up**

**Go to the birthday boy, and ask him what's up!**

Jimmy: **You know we're lookin' fly playin' musical chairs**

**When we pop ourselves a squat, we throw our hands in the air**

**Blindfolds all on when we pinnin' the tail**

**Don't matter, we win it, cause we always prevail!**

(_With a flash, the scene shifts to a dreamlike backdrop of mountains upon mountains of ice cream, with Larry right in the middle_)

Larry: _**This is the tale**_

_**Of cookie dough ice cream**_

_**Flavor so sweet**_

_**On my taaaaaaaaste buds**_

(_The rest of the Boyz can't see Larry's world-whenever they speak, they are seen back at the party_)

Mr. Lunt: What?

Larry: _**Chocolate ice cream's good, too**_

_**And strawberry's so filling**_

_**All the flavors are perfect**_

_**And none of them duds!**_

Junior:** Yeah, that was kinda weird, but we're back in the yard**

**Playin' freeze-tag, no puppy-dog-guard**

Larry: _**Rainbow sherbet**_

Junior: **When I'm frozen in place, I can't help but grin**

**Cause I know my Boyz'll be there to tap me back in!**

Larry: _**Fudge brownie!**_

Mr. Lunt: **Look out, piñata, cause I ain't your Mr. Nice Guy**

**More like Gonna-Go-And-Split-You-Open-With-One-Slice Guy**

**All tied up with nowhere to run**

**Just wind up with the bat and-**

Larry: _**Now back to the good part!**_

_**From the day I was born**_

_**I longed for cold confections**_

_**Vanilla ice cream**_

_**Makes my spirit soar**_

_**Endless flavors exist**_

_**Who knows just how many**_

_**It's a delectable festival**_

_**In every ice cream store**_

Mr. Lunt: **Put your hands in the air and say "Oh yeah!" Come on!**

Larry: _**Rocky road!**_

Mr. Lunt: What?

Larry: _**Butter pecan!**_

Mr. Lunt: No!

Jimmy: **Now jump up and down and lose that frown! Come on!**

Larry: _**Cookies and cream!**_

Jimmy: Nope.

Larry: _**Chocolate chip!**_

Jimmy: Wrong.

Junior: **Larry, buddy, we're really gonna need you to focus up!**

Larry: _**Roger that, let me try it with another food!**_

Mr. Lunt: Wait-

(_The scene is now a chocolate wonderland_)

Larry: _**Life is a box of chocolates**_

_**And to eat them all is my aim**_

Mr. Lunt: Not better.

Larry: _**No matter the type of filling within**_

_**I love them all the same**_

Junior: Come on!

(_Larry is now in a kitchen where every surface is stacked high with brownies. He is wearing a chef's outfit and pulling a fresh batch out of the oven_)

Larry: _**Okay, well, how bout brownies, then?**_

_**So delicious and easy to bake**_

Jimmy: Would you stop?

(_Back in his boy-band attire, Larry now sits on top of an enormous cake_)

Larry: _**Then you can feed me lies, son**_

_**Cause I'mma sing all 'bout cake!**_

Mr. Lunt: Close enough.

Larry: Mmm! This cake is great! It's so delicious and moist!

_**This is the tale**_

_**Of red velvet goodness**_

_**With chocolate so rich**_

_**I can hardly express**_

_**The icing on the cake**_

_**Is the buttercream frosting**_

_**I just hope when I eat it**_

_**I don't make a big mess!**_

_**(Don't make a big mee-eeess!)**_

Mr. Lunt: **Okay.**

**Turns out Larry has a major sugar addiction.**

Larry: (_surrounded by all of the foods he has mentioned_) **You complete me!**

Jimmy: Yeah.

Junior: Yep.

Mr. Lunt: Okay.

(_Back to the title card_)

Announcer: This has been Party Songs with Boyz in the Sink, dawg. Check us next time when Larry will be all like…

Larry: (_walks on stage, holding the side of his mouth_) My tooth hurts all of a sudden.

(_Fade out_)

* * *

><p><strong>Yep.<strong>

**Next time we're heading back to the story, and right now I'm heading back to bed.**

**See ya…See you…*yawn* See…..**

…

…

**WUB wub wub wub…**

**(And one more WW reference for the road. But seriously, it's sleep time now.)**


	16. At The Gala slash Ball

**1 AM seems to be the magic hour for uploading these things. Good thing I'm a night owl, eh?**

**But fast update! w00t! **

**Well, you've had to wait long enough for the continuation of this thing, let's just get to brass tacks, shall we?**

**Reviewer response first, though. Can't skip that, can we?**

**Galaxina-the-Seedrian: You are indeed. *rawk hands* Well, the music and some of the lyrics were from the original song. But the rest was me! That counts, right? (Hint: it doesn't) I'm glad you liked it, though. Are you hardcore enough for this next chapter? Probably, since it's not very hardcore. I mean, the girl's wearing a tiara.**

***deep announcer voice* We now return to your regularly scheduled fairy tale.**

**Enjoy. (Oops, forgot to turn the voice off…)**

* * *

><p>The carriage pulled up next to the huge stairs leading into the palace.<p>

Yasir made to get out, but looked back at CinderJenna.

She shook her head, smiling. "Go on in. I'll be there in a minute."

He nodded, then sprinted inside, no doubt headed straight for the snack table.

She slowly reopened the door and walked out, just staring at the palace.

"We're gonna go find a parking spot, okay?" Chuck called to her.

"Yeah, and the horses need some hay, too." Grandpa added.

"Sure, you guys go ahead." She assured them. They drove off.

She looked at the castle again. Did she really belong here? Just because she looked the part didn't mean she could act it.

"CinderJenna."

She wasn't even surprised anymore, and simply turned to face Angela.

"Alright, CinderJenna. I've cast a spell-"

"Angels can cast spells?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, no, but the actual process is very complicated and would take far too much time to explain, so let's just say that I cast a spell so that no one will recognize you apart from a vague sense of déjà vu."

"Oh, okay." She breathed a sigh of relief-she had been so worried about running into her stepfamily.

"Right. So now you're on your own."

"Wh-what?" CinderJenna squeaked. "But…aren't you coming with me?"

"What do you need me for?" Angela laughed lightly. "You're the one that got yourself here. The music's in you, remember? You can do this."

She nodded, not really believing it.

"Oh, one more thing. You need to be out of here before midnight."

"What? Why?"

"Your stepfamily is going to leave around 1. You're going to need a good head start."

She sighed. "Alright."

"Just believe in yourself, CinderJenna." And she disappeared.

CinderJenna turned back to the palace, staring it down.

"I can do this." She said out loud. With that, she walked up the grand staircase and into the ballroom.

CinderJenna had never seen anything like it. The floor was a beautiful, pure white marble, with huge pillars on the edges. There were candles along the tops of the walls to give a romantic glow, as well as a crystal chandelier. Off to the side, an orchestra was playing a spirited gavotte. Everyone was so busy dancing they didn't even notice her entrance.

She looked to the right and saw the royal family. There was the king, and the queen, and-

And…

…Wait.

Wait a minute.

'_That can't be._' She thought, trying not to hyperventilate.

But it was. Sitting to the right of the king and queen, wearing the finest white-and-gold suit and looking bored out of his mind, was none other than the red-haired man she had met in the village a week ago.

'_He was __**the Prince**__?_' She squeaked in her head. '_I mean, **THE WHOLE** **TIME?**_'

She couldn't believe it-she had held an entire conversation with the Prince. She had been crushing on the Prince this whole time!

And she'd actually thought she had a chance at him.

Taking a deep breath and trying to get it out of her head, she walked as quickly as her shoes allowed down the stairs.

One thing struck her as odd-no one was dancing with the prince. Plenty of people were dancing, and plenty of girls were looking longingly at the Prince, but no one was approaching him, and he wasn't dancing with anyone.

Looking around, she spotted Yasir, who was standing by the snack table as expected.

"Hey, Yasir." She walked over to him.

"CinderJenna, have you tried these cream puffs? They are simply to die for!" He had about five in his hand.

"Maybe later," She laughed. "Do you know why the Prince isn't dancing with anyone?"

"I heard one of the girls complaining. She said that the girls have to approach the Prince, rather than the other way around. Only two girls have so far, and apparently that didn't work out so well."

She had a feeling she knew who the two were. "So no one else has asked him to dance?"

"I guess not. Why?" He grabbed a piece of cake.

She took him aside a little. "That's the guy from the village."

His eyes became as big as dinner plates. "The Prince is?"

She nodded, realizing once again how stupid she'd been.

"Oh my goodness gracious! That is so romantic! Oh, it is destiny that you were to come here tonight! You are star-crossed lovers, brought together by this one magical night!" He proclaimed.

"Shhh!" CinderJenna waved her hands frantically. "You want my stepmother to hear you?"

"Oh, you must ask him to dance!" He grinned.

"Are you insane? He's the Prince, and I'm just…me." She shrugged, looking down.

"Well, I think "just you" should be good enough for any Prince! You worked your butt off to get here tonight! What has he done? Nothing, except sit there and be miserable. Why not put him out of it, eh? I'm sure he'd appreciate it." Yasir raised his eyebrows at her with a smirk.

"But-!"

"What happened to believing in yourself?" He sighed. "You _want_ to dance with him, do you not?"

"Yes." She answered immediately.

"Then do not be like all of these other wimpy girls! Take action, girlfriend!" He shook her shoulder.

She grinned. "Only if you promise never to put the word 'girlfriend' at the end of your sentences again."

"I think I can manage that." He nodded, polishing off the cake and grabbing another piece.

She took a deep shuddering breath. "Okay. I'm gonna do it. Wish me luck."

He just shrugged and smiled. "Not like you need it."

Giving him a shaky laugh, she turned towards the Prince. Her stomach felt like someone was using it as a trampoline, her hands were sweating, and her knees were wobbling.

"God, give me strength." She muttered just as the song ended.

* * *

><p><strong>Suspense! <strong>

…**Yeah, that's all I got. Maybe I'm not as much of a night person as I thought.**

**Well, tune in next time! (Seriously, I usually have better closing lines than this. Disappointment in self.)**


	17. Ten Minutes Ago

**I like how I was freaking out about not updating this in such a long time, and it's only been a month. I mean, that's still way too long, but compared to some of my other stories (yes, I see you OTR readers glaring at me. I'm working on it, promise), it's not long at all. But still, sincerest apologies-I'm working as an Assistant Stage Manager (ASM for short) for our school's production of Romeo and Juliet, and we're putting it all together in about four weeks. It's been a **_**bit**_** hectic. **

**With my usual excuses out of the way, let's get to some long overdue reviewer response!**

**Galaxina-the-Seedrian: Well, he finally has someone willing to **_**pretend **_**to be his love interest, which is probably the closest he's gotten in a while. Poor Bob. XD I have made more, as you can see. The recipe was hard to find, and I messed up a few times, but I think it's pretty delicious now. lol metaphors.**

**FrittzyCrazy: (checks to see if you're actually new or just haven't reviewed in a while since I've made that mistake before and don't want to offend people again) You are new! HUZZAH! I'm glad you think it's creative. Personally, I see it as an adaptation using characters that have already been made by someone else a.k.a. the opposite of creative, but I'm glad to see someone disagrees! I'm bad at this, aren't I? Anyway, this isn't exactly "soon", but it is updated! Points for that maybe? No? That's alright.**

_**CHEESE LOUISE**_**, writing romance. If you'd like to know my feelings on it, please consult the AN on chapter 6 of **_**Blue Skies for Somebody to Love**_**. Great fun to write, but very difficult. It's a nice long chapter, though, so hopefully that makes up for it somewhat.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chris wished he had a camera with him to capture the moment when the King and Queen announced to the women that <em>they<em> would have to be the ones to ask the Prince to dance this evening. It was priceless. They were all mixtures of fear and anger.

As he sat down in his chair and the first song started, he started to lighten up. With that attitude, he was sure no one would ask him to dance. He could make it through this ball scott-free.

Or so he thought.

He cringed when he saw one woman with a dress that had every pattern imaginable on it stride purposefully up to him.

"Your Highness," She curtsied clumsily and acted like there was something in her eye. "May I have this dance?"

Chris looked to his parents with pleading eyes. His mother's look said, "I'll disown you right now if you say no," while his father's was sympathetic.

He sighed and put on a smile. "You may." He said through his teeth.

She squealed and dragged him onto the dance floor, holding him way too close for comfort.

"Oh, Your Highness, I find your dancing most im-peck-ah-blay, and your presence so en-chahn-ting!" She gushed.

"Um…what?" He raised an eyebrow as he tried to pull at least a little bit away.

But she pulled him back even closer, if that was possible. "Oh, Your Highness, don't be coy. I'm sure your own vo-cah-boo-lary is quite ex-teen-sive."

"I…I'm sorry, I can't understand you." He apologized.

"What?" She grabbed his shoulder a little too tightly. "That's because you're dumb!" She started to shake him. "You can't appreciate a smart woman like me!"

'Guards!" Lionel called immediately.

Two big men in suits of armor came and dragged the young woman away.

"No, wait! We didn't finish our dance!" She called as she fought back against the guards.

Chris ran back to his chair, panting.

"Well, she seemed nice." His mother smiled.

The two men turned to look at her.

"What?" She asked.

Chris just shook his head. He hoped no one else asked him to dance.

"Excuse me, Your Highness?"

This just wasn't his day.

He looked up, and noticed the dress first-he had to lean up in his chair a little to see the woman's face.

"May I have this dance?" She bent down and stuck one foot straight out behind her.

He would have looked to his parents, but he knew what the answer was going to be. "You may." He sighed.

She led him out onto the dance floor. As soon as they started dancing, she immediately started laughing hysterically.

"What? I'm sorry am I-" He moved his hands a little, afraid he was accidentally tickling her or something, but she just laughed all the harder.

"Um, Miss, are you alright?"

"Oh, Your Highness, you're so funny!" And she continued to laugh. She would snort occasionally, and try to cover it up by laughing even louder.

"I haven't said anything-" But he could barely hear himself over her laughter.

"Alright, Miss, you must leave time for the other girls to dance with him." Lionel gently led her away.

"But we were getting along so well!" She grabbed Chris' hands in a vice grip. Lionel had to pull his hardest to get her off, and he sent himself toppling along with her.

Chris sprinted back to his seat, huffing and puffing. He prayed no one else would ask him to dance.

"Really, Chris, you need to give these girls a chance!" His mother scolded.

"Darling, let's leave him alone for now." The king suggested.

Thankfully, the rest of the night went fairly quietly. No one else asked him to dance, and he just sat and watched, looking at the clock every so often. As the night went on, "every so often" meant "every 30 seconds". After awhile he gave up and just looked at his feet, his chin resting on his hand, praying it would end soon.

Suddenly, the music stopped, and all the guests started chattering.

He looked up to see what all the fuss was about.

Immediately, something about the girl walking towards him struck him. He couldn't place it, but something about her just seemed so familiar.

She was walking slowly but purposefully towards him, her eyes somewhat downcast. Even so, she certainly was a pretty girl. Her dress was striking, as was the tiara-a princess?

Finally, she was right in front of him, and she finally looked up.

The two just stared at each other for a long moment. The silence was almost crushing.

"Hello," He finally said, although it was no louder than a whisper.

CinderJenna looked down again. "How do you do, Your Highness?" She did her best curtsy. After about her hundredth deep breath, she looked back up at him. "May I have this dance?" She asked, her voice shaking.

"You may." He nodded, taking her hand in his own as the two walked into the middle of the dance floor.

The music started up again, a waltz this time. It was at this point CinderJenna realized something.

'_I have no idea how to dance!_' She panicked in her head.

But it didn't matter-the Prince gently but confidently twirled her around the dance floor. She felt like she was floating as the world spun around her. She'd never felt so happy.

"Who is that woman?" The king asked after a moment's shock.

"I'll tell you who that is, Max-the answer to my prayers!" The queen squealed in joy.

Meanwhile, CinderJenna's stepfamily sighed from their place along the side of the dance floor. "Where in the world did _she_ come from?" Minerva groaned.

"Who is she?" Calliope fumed.

"You know, there's something vaguely familiar about her…" Lady Tremaine stared at the girl.

The Prince finally found his voice. "You seem vaguely familiar. Have we met?"

"Um…" Well, she didn't want the first thing she said to him to be a lie! I mean, technically this wasn't the first, but still.

"Maybe it was at another of these ridiculous balls?" He laughed.

She laughed, too. "No, this is my first time at a ball."

"Really?" He raised his eyebrows.

She just nodded.

"Hmm…" He thought, and she marveled at how he could be thinking so hard and still effortlessly lead her along the dance floor. "Maybe at the lodge?"

"Up in the mountains?" She gaped. She had never been there. The Prince had a lodge?

"Do you go to the mountains often?" He asked eagerly.

She laughed, shaking her head. "No, never."

"You have a very pretty laugh." The Prince blurted before he could stop himself.

CinderJenna could feel her cheeks heating up. It was then she noticed no one else was on the floor-everyone was in a circle around them, just watching.

"Everyone's staring at us," She whispered nervously.

"Are they?" He looked out to them, then grinned back at her. "I'd forgotten there was anyone else here."

She smiled, hoping she wasn't turning too red.

Suddenly he began to sing. "_**Ten minutes ago I saw you. I looked up when you came through the door. My head started reeling, you gave me the feeling the room had no ceiling or floor!**_"

She looked down and laughed, embarrassed, but he kept going.

"_**Ten minutes ago I met you, and we murmured our "How do you do"s-I wanted to ring out the bells and fling out my arms and to sing out the news!**_" He spun her around quickly on the last part, and she laughed, feeling light as air.

"_**I have found her, she's an angel with the dust of the stars in her eyes**_," He sang, looking right at her, and she almost collapsed from the intensity of his gaze. Now she was certain of how red she was.

"_**We are dancing, we are flying, and she's taking me back to the skies!**_" Chris was spinning her very quickly now- the only way she kept herself from getting dizzy was focusing on his face. Which was totally fine with her.

"_**In the arms of my love I'm flying over mountain and meadow and glenn…**_" That's how she felt, too-like she was flying above the world in his arms. She almost couldn't handle the way he was looking at her. She felt wanted. Cherished. Loved. And she hadn't felt that way in far too long.

"_**And I like it so well that for all I can tell I may never come down again! I may never come down to Earth again!**_" He grinned widely at her, and she returned it, singing back to him.

"_**Ten minutes ago I met you**_," She pulled away from him for a moment, which visibly distressed him. "_**And we murmured our "How do you do"s." **_She goofily imitated her curtsy, causing him to laugh. She walked back over, and he immediately took her in his arms again. "_**I wanted to ring out the bells and fling out my arms and to sing out the news!**_" She couldn't keep the huge smile off of her face-it was like it was stuck on.

"_**I have found her!**_" He smiled.

"_**I have found him!**_" She smiled back.

They continued to twirl around on the dance floor, the Prince throwing some complicated turns and even a few lifts in, much to CinderJenna's delight.

"_**In the arms of my love I'm flying over mountain and meadow and glenn!**_" The two sang together as they danced. "_**And I like it so well that for all I can tell I may never come down again! I may never come down to Earth again!**_"

They were both very surprised to find that the song ended just then, and the band started up another waltz.

CinderJenna looked at the Prince, reluctantly releasing his hand as she looked down again "Well, it was…an honor to dance with you, Your Highness. You probably have other girls lined up, so I'll just-"

"No, wait!"

She turned back, startled by his response.

He regained his composure. "I mean, um…" He shuffled his feet, then grinned at her. "One more dance couldn't hurt, right?"

She smiled broadly, feeling relief wash over her. "No, it couldn't." And they continued to dance.

"Would you look at that? They're still dancing!" The king marveled. "I wish we could get a chance to talk to that wonderful girl."

The queen got an evil grin. "Max, darling, would you care to dance?"

He got her meaning immediately. "Nothing would make me happier, my dear."

They waltzed onto the dance floor, making their way towards their son. Once they got close enough, they effortlessly changed partners so that the king was dancing with CinderJenna while Chris was dancing with his mother.

"I do hope my son is behaving himself," He laughed.

"Oh y-yes, of course, Your Majesty, he's been nothing but a perfect gentleman!" She assured him. Was she actually talking like a normal human being to _the King?_

"A chip off the old block, is he?" The king grinned.

She laughed. "Absolutely, Your Majesty."

He smiled, deciding he liked this girl.

It was then that they performed the next switch, which involved the Queen grabbing CinderJenna's hand at the last moment before she could reconnect with Chris and leading her a little ways from the crowd of dancers.

"Do we know your mother and father, my dear?" She asked sweetly.

Oh no. "Um, no. I-I mean, I don't _think_ so." She could feel her nerves starting up again.

"Well, then, you simply must introduce us! Where are they, dear?" She began to scan the ballroom.

Oh, no no no, this was bad. "Well, my father is, um…" She looked around herself, wringing her hands habitually.

"Yes, dear?" The Queen pressed.

"My mother, she's um…" But it was no use. What could she say? "I'm sorry, but will you excuse me?" And she bolted out to the garden.

Before the Queen could wonder what she had said, Chris was right next to her.

"What did you say to her?" He asked accusingly.

"Nothing! I don't know what-"

But he wasn't listening-he ran outside after her.

Her husband took her hand. "I think she's perfectly nice, don't you?"

"A little high strung…" The Queen exhaled loudly.

"A little." He agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>Good? Maybe? I don't know. Always feel subpar at writing more serious stuff like this. I'm better at comedy, tbh.<strong>

**Well anyway, more subpar serious stuff is on its way, so stay tuned!**


	18. So Close

…**Heh heh. Hey guys.**

**Okay, I see you all glaring at me, don't think I don't. These past few months have been cray-cray, to say the very least. Auditions out the wazoo, crazy amounts of homework, and I'm sick with the yearly Plague that goes around my school around this time of year. I haven't done my laundry in about two weeks and barely managed to remember to shower. **

**Plus I had another writing obligation-our school's New Play Festival submissions are due soon, and I've been revising the dickens out of the play I wanna submit, which has taken up a lot of my writing energy.**

**So in conclusion, I'm really sorry that this is so late, but it's not because I hate you guys, promise-The Real World got in the way. Not the TV show, mind, I'm talking the actual place you can see if you look out your window.**

**But enough of that-it is now the time to respond to the reviewers yes it is.**

**FrittzyCrazy: Aw shucks, just doing what I should. Actually, "Aw shucks" is my response to pretty much everything you said there. xD Um…well "sometime" soon is what happened. Close enough? (Nope.) Anyway, hope that doesn't muddy your opinion of this chapter (too much)!**

**BlackMuse111998: I'm glad you liked it so much! Just remember to breathe. Breathing is your friend. Anyway, I hope you read the rest of the story as well, and let me know what you think! Don't be shy-I love constructive criticism, or even non-constructive flat-out insults! It's all good.**

**magictoast15: As have I, dear, as have I. Business-it's part of growing up, n'est pas? Disclaimer: I don't speak French. I only know that phrase because one of the villains on **_**Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action**_** said it a lot and I asked my mom, who does speak French, what it meant. But I digress-I'm glad you still like it, since it's taken so many weird turns and such. Well…I hoped that, too, but alas. Enjoy it anyway?**

**Oh great, more dramatic stuff. Man, it's hard to make this stuff sound non-cheesy and non-contrived. Seriousness-who needs it? Amirite?**

**Well, enjoy? Maybe?**

* * *

><p>After running completely through the hedge maze in the garden behind the ballroom, CinderJenna plopped down on a bench in the center. She thought about the conversation she'd just had. These people-the Prince included-thought that she was a somebody-maybe even a princess. But she was just a nobody maid who couldn't even stand up for herself.<p>

Sure, she had done a lot tonight, but for what? To fabricate a lie? The Prince was the last person she wanted to lie to.

What _would _her parents say if they were here? They probably wouldn't approve. But then again, if they were around, she wouldn't even have to deal with this, would she?

Her head was spinning, so she closed her eyes, folded her hands, and prayed.

"God, I don't know what to do. I'm having a great time, but…I don't know. I'm not what they think I am. Am I even doing the right thing? Please...I know I need to do things for myself, but I can't do everything, and I can't know everything. Can you please give me some guidance? Just a little, like a hint or something. I…I just don't know."

She kept her eyes closed for a moment longer, waiting for something. She didn't know what, but she waited anyway.

"Oh, good, you _are_ still here!"

Her eyes snapped open, and she saw the Prince, looking very out of breath and leaning against one of the hedges for support.

"Your Highness!" She stood up.

"Just Chris." He smiled and sat next to her.

"O-okay…" She was on a first name basis with _the Prince_!

"Look, I don't know what my parents said to you, but I apologize. They mean well, they can just be a little…well, you know." He wrung his hands.

"No, no, they were really nice!" She assured him. "Especially compared to my family."

Darn it, she let that slip.

"I'd like to meet your family." Chris looked up at her.

"No, you wouldn't." She said quickly.

"No, I really would!" He nodded.

"No, trust me, you wouldn't." She assured him.

He looked at her for a moment, then laughed. "That bad, huh?"

She chuckled, trying to think of what she could say without giving too much away. "Well, they don't know I'm here." She whispered, as if they were right next to her. "They didn't even want me to come here tonight."

"Well, I'm really glad you did-" He'd grabbed her hand, for some reason, but instantly dropped it when he realized what he was doing. "Uh, it's just that you were the only fun part of this whole night."

"Oh, come on." She blushed.

"No, really. I didn't want to have a ball-I almost didn't show up." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"How can the Prince not show up at his own ball?" CinderJenna laughed a little.

He grinned wryly up at her. "And that is the only reason why I came."

They both laughed at that.

"What was this ball for, anyway?" She asked.

Chris hadn't expected that question. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um, my parents…they…well, they want me to get married sometime soon."

Her eyes widened. "So this was-"

"Not my idea!" He clarified. "I mean, I don't want to meet a girl this way, you know?"

"Yeah, I suppose not." She looked down, feeling a little disappointed.

"N-Not that I'm not happy I met you! I just meant that this wasn't the best-no, that's not it either, I-" He sighed, leaning his head back. "I'm sorry. I'm not good at talking to girls, I guess."

"Well, I'm not good at talking to boys, so I guess we're even." She smiled nervously.

"Yeah, guess so." He chuckled. "It's just, I want to meet a girl in my own way."

"So why don't you?" She asked.

"I can't. Even if I did, she'd have to meet the high standards of my parents and the public and-I don't think most people would want to go through that. Especially when the prize is just me." He explained. "Sometimes…Sometimes I feel like it's just not God's will that I be in love when I get married."

"That's not true!" Chris turned to her, surprised by the outburst. "God has a plan for you, but He can't help you if you don't take action and do something about it. God can present an opportunity to you, but going after the things you want is the only way you'll get them."

Chris just looked at her for a moment. In that moment, he realized God had just delivered an opportunity for him, and she was sitting right next to him, looking flustered as if she'd said something wrong. Now it was his turn to take action.

"You're right." He said softly, before taking both of her hands.

She looked at them, shocked, before looking back up to Chris with wide eyes.

"Can I ask you something?" He was looking at her from the very top of his eyes.

"S-Sure. Of course." She stuttered.

He took a deep breath. "Do you think…" He sighed. '_Come on, Chris, just say it!_' he shouted at himself. "Do you think it's possible to meet someone, and…just after one night and maybe two conversations, only about two hours together total…." He searched her face. "…to know that she's the one?"

'…_Did he just say what I think he said?'_ CinderJenna was in shock, to say the least.

"At this point," She finally said. "I think anything's possible."

Chris smiled at her, feeling butterflies in his stomach. Without thinking, he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'm sorry!" He said when he realized what he did. "I don't know what came over me, I…I'm really sorry."

CinderJenna just touched the spot where he'd kissed her. '_Best. Night. Ever._' Was the only thought in her head at that moment.

That is, until she heard an incredibly loud gong sound.

She whipped her head up to the large clock tower. '_Please please please don't be-'_

Both hands were pointing to the twelve.

"Oh no, it's midnight!" She ran out of the maze.

"What? Where are you going?" Chris ran desperately after her.

"I have to go!" She called behind her as she ran into the ballroom.

"No, wait! Please come back-I don't even know your name!" Why, why, _why_ hadn't he asked that?

"It's a silly name, you wouldn't like it!" She called before ducking around a corner.

Chris bolted after her, but was blocked by a woman in a green dress.

"Oh, Your Highness, I'm sure you've met my daughters-"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, can it wait?" He tried to get around her.

"But Your Highness, you simply must-"

He dashed around her at the first opportunity and ran for the stairs. He panicked-he couldn't see her anymore!

He threw the doors open just in time to see a carriage driving off into the distance.

Chris just stood there for a moment. All the feelings of happiness and hope he'd felt just a few moments ago were gone. The girl of his dreams had vanished, and he didn't even know her name.

He sat on the stairs, deflating with every breath he took. "How could you?" He looked up, angry. "How could you give me her and then take her away?" His head dropped again.

Suddenly, something caught the light. He turned automatically to it.

There was a single shoe on the stair.

He ran to it. It was hers-it had to be!

"Glass?" He raised an eyebrow as he picked it up.

But it didn't matter-this was his key to finding her again.

He looked up again. "Thanks." He smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>All of these conversations sound so bad to me in my head, but this was the best I could do (editing-wise, I mean. As I said earlier, the rough versions of all of these chapters are already done. Well, the last few aren't but CLOSE ENOUGH GEEZ). <strong>

**Well, I hope it was at least somewhat satisfying to y'all. Tune in next time, which will hopefully be sooner! Hopefully.**


	19. A Lovely Night

**Well, THAT didn't happen, now did it? The whole "updating-sooner"thing? Well, I suppose one month IS an improvement. Kind of.**

**(OTR readers, I see you shunning me. I have another chapter all ready to go, but long story short, technology is preventing me from uploading it right now. I'll try to get it up ASAP though. Please don't mount my head on a spear.)**

**Alright respondre, s'il vous plait? Oui. (Why have I been doing French so much? I don't speak it, dangit!)**

**FrittzyCrazy: Thanks! :D Oh yeah? Well, I'm more than a year behind on one of my stories. Right, OTR readers? (piano whizzes by my head) Sorry, should have warned you, they do that. They're strong people. Not that I don't deserve it. Well, I only needed a few band-aids to get this puppy off the ground, so I'd call that safe! And I hope *you* enjoy this chapter! :)**

**acadia93: Uh-oh, it's time for a NEW REVIEWER PARTAY! (bumpin music as I pop, lock and drop it like nobody's bidness)**

**Well, that was fun. Anyway, fun fact: your reviewer name is the only one thus far that Word hasn't tried to correct. Feel the specialness. FEEL IT IN YOUR SKIN.**

**I'm weird. Point is I'm glad you liked the story so much, and I hope it continues to please! :D**

**Oh no, not angst. ANYTHING BUT ANGST. Alas, it must be done. It's kinda funny, though. There's comic relief. And it ends on a kinda-happy note. So you'll be fine**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>CinderJenna spaced out for most of the rest of the night. She just stared out the window as the carriage rode back into the village. She barely talked to Layla as she changed back into her normal clothes and handed the dress back to her. Her thank-you's to Lavoro and Grandpa came out sounding a little more wistful and sad than she'd intended. The two men simply looked at each other, feeling sympathy for the poor girl, before nodding their heads at her and driving away.<p>

As she scrubbed the floors, she thought about everything that had happened that night. On one hand, it had been the best night of her life-she had gotten to go to a ball, see the palace, and meet the royal family. She had also gotten to dance with the man of her dreams. He had even given her a kiss on the cheek. She blushed as she remembered it-no one had ever been that nice to her before.

But on the other hand, she'd had to leave him with absolutely no explanation. She hoped he didn't think he had done something wrong, because he definitely hadn't.

It was probably for the best anyway, she told herself. It would be horrible for the Prince's reputation if he married a common servant girl. He deserved someone with noble blood, someone who was outgoing and could talk to strangers without having a nervous breakdown.

These thoughts kept circling and circling in her head until she heard the door open. Her stepfamily was home.

"Oh, what a night!" Lady Tremaine gushed as she strutted into her home. "What a simply marvelous affair!"

"Amazing," Minerva sulked.

"Like a vision," Calliope said through her teeth.

"Hello, everyone," CinderJenna grabbed their coats and gloves and put them away. "Did any of you get to dance with the Prince?"

"_I_ danced about an hour with him. He was so impressed by my vo-cah-boo-lary that he about swooned." Minerva bragged.

"Oh yeah? Well…I danced _two_ hours with him, and he was far more charmed by how infectious my laughter was!" Calliope countered.

"I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Prince chose one of you for his bride!" Lady Tremaine smiled at her daughters.

"Were there a lot of people there?" She asked as she prepared some tea.

"But of course! Anyone who was anyone was there!" Lady Tremaine rolled her eyes.

"So you knew everyone?"

"Yes. Of course." She responded after a moment's hesitation.

"What about that princess? OW!" Calliope rubbed her arm where Minerva had elbowed her.

"Princess?" '_They're not talking about me, are they?_'

"Well, there was some Princess-something-or-other, but no one knew her. She appeared out of nowhere, very late I might add, and galloped out around midnight. Most uncouth." She snarled.

"Did _she_ dance with the Prince?" CinderJenna started to pour the tea.

Silence.

"Maybe one dance," Minerva finally said.

"Maybe," Calliope nodded.

"I didn't notice." Lady Tremaine's lip curled upwards in disgust. "And pray tell, CinderJenna, what have _you_ been doing all night?"

'_Sorry, God._' "Oh, I've just been dreaming, mostly. Y'know, about what it would have been like to be at the ball."

Calliope laughed, snorting profusely. Minerva let her have a moment before shoving her into silence. "Like you could even begin to imagine what it was like."

"Well," CinderJenna looked off into the distance. "I imagine that there's a big grand staircase, with a big chandelier, and everything is made out of pure white marble."

The two sisters looked at each other, bemused. "_**It looks that way…**_" Calliope admitted.

"_**The way you say…**_" Minerva's eyes were big.

"_**She talks as if she knows.**_" Lady Tremaine scoffed as she sipped her tea.

"_**I do not know that this is so!**_" CinderJenna tried to cover her tracks. "_**I only just suppose…**_"

But she couldn't help it-she had to talk to someone about all that had happened.

"_**I suppose that when you come into the ballroom, and you hear the lively music of the band,**_" She remembered how all the dancers seemed to be lost in the music as they twirled around on the floor.

"_**When find that you must go approach His Highness, you are frozen like a statue where you stand!**_" She vividly recalled how shaky she was when she walked up to the Prince's chair.

She turned to her sisters then, who were hanging on her every word.

"_**You're afraid he'll hear the way your heart is beating, and you find yourself too frightened to advance!**_" They nodded, looking wistful.

"_**You are seriously thinking of retreating, then you hear yourself say, "May I have this dance?" " **_CinderJenna offered her hand to Minerva, who immediately took it, and the two began to waltz around the living room.

"And when you waltz with him, you whirl around so it feels like your feet don't even touch the floor!"

"That's right, they don't!" She spun away and ran into a table.

CinderJenna grabbed Calliope next. "And he makes you feel like the most important person in the room."

"That's right, he does!" She sighed. The two sisters were now waltzing with each other, leaving CinderJenna alone to remember.

"And then, for just a few moments…you're the luckiest girl in the entire world." She whispered.

CinderJenna walked towards the back door in the dining room, trying to preserve every memory of tonight. "_**A lovely night…a lovely night….a finer night you know you'll never see.**_"

She spotted the red chair-it was the exact same color as his hair. "_**You meet your prince, a charming prince, as charming as a prince will ever be!**_"

She opened the doors, looking at the stars overhead, not even noticing her stepsisters next to her. "_**The stars in a hazy heaven tremble above you,**_" She closed her eyes as she remembered the sound of his voice. "_**While he is whispering, "Darling, I love you,"." **_

CinderJenna turned back into the house, seeing that even her stepmother was interested, though she was pretending not to be. "_**You say goodbye, away you fly-but on your cheek you keep a kiss! All your life you'll dream of this lovely, lovely night!**_" She spun around in happiness.

Her stepsisters ran after her, dancing around the living room in their own memories.

"_**A lovely night!**_" Minerva crooned.

"How lovely!" Calliope agreed.

"_**A lovely night!**_"

"How lovely!"

"_**A finer night you know you'll never see!"**_

The two bumped into each other as they spun, nearly knocking each other over.

"_**You meet-**_" Calliope sighed.

"_**Your prince!**_" Minerva interrupted.

Calliope shot her a glare, then continued. "_**A char-**_"

"**-**_**ming prince!**_" Minerva sang over her.

Their mother broke them apart before a fight started. "_**As charming as a prince will ever be!**_" She smiled.

The three started dancing in a circle, while CinderJenna watched from the side, smiling both in relief and genuine happiness.

"_**The stars in the hazy heaven…**_"Lady Tremaine sang.

"_**Tremble above you!**_" Calliope twirled under her mother and sister's arms.

"_**While he is whispering…**_" Lady Tremaine spun her over to her sister.

"_**Darling, I love you!**_" Minerva dipped her sister and dropped her voice about a whole octave.

CinderJenna giggled, and took that as her cue to reenter. "_**You say goodbye, away you fly!**_"

"_**But on your cheek you keep a kiss!**_" The two sisters hugged themselves in whimsy.

"_**All your life you'll dream of this…**_" Lady Tremaine suddenly had a thought.

"_**Lovely…**_" CinderJenna sang, her sisters repeating after her.

'_I recognize that walk…why do I recognize it?_' She wondered.

"_**Lovely night!**_" The girls finished, CinderJenna giving her best curtsy.

'_No! It can't be_' She suddenly imagined CinderJenna in a beautiful purple gown.

"Stop it!" She shouted abruptly.

Everyone jumped and turned to her, and even the lady herself seemed surprised by her own outburst, but she quickly composed herself.

"All of these…fantasies…" She laughed, but it sounded far too high-pitched to be natural. "…are the most ridiculous things I ever heard!"

Lady Tremaine turned to her daughters, making them shrink back. "And you listened to her! Played along! Bought into her little dreamworld! I thought I taught you girls better than that."

"Mother-"

"Enough! Off to your rooms, the both of you. You've had a long night."

Giving each other a look, they trudged up the stairs to their rooms.

Lady Tremaine and CinderJenna were alone now

"And as for you…" CinderJenna tried to keep a strong face.

"I suppose you don't have much else to do besides dream your life away, but there comes a point, CinderJenna. And the thought of the Prince even looking at you as a suitable mate is , honestly, laughable!" As if to prove her point, she let out a light chuckle. With her point proven, she started up the stairs.

"Why?"

This simple word stopped the lady in her tracks, and she turned to her stepdaughter. She was surprised to see strength in the girl's eyes, and it honestly scared her. Only for a moment, of course.

"Why is it so laughable? Tell me." CinderJenna couldn't believe she could say this without shaking.

There was a pause.

"Because!" Lady Tremaine almost shouted the word as she racked her brain. How dare this girl stand up to her! Taking that kind of stance, _demanding_ things from her!

Her eyes turned to slits. She wasn't going to lose this, even if she had to play dirty.

"You're average, CinderJenna." Her voice was low. "Your mother was average, your father was average, hence you are average. God has given you a wonderful life, a wonderful average life, and yet you still want more. He gives you everything you need-asking for more is nothing short of selfish."

CinderJenna considered this for a moment, but shook it away. '_No, that's not true!_' She told herself. '_She's twisting words, trying to use God against me. It won't work._'

"Dreaming about dancing with the Prince is selfish, ungrateful…and frankly, pathetic." She continued.

Now that hurt. "My father told me-!"

"Your father told you all sorts of things." Lady Tremaine interrupted. "He spoiled you, bent to your will, and filled you to the brim with silly fantasies and dreams. But that's all they are, CinderJenna…and that's all they ever will be."

There was a pause. CinderJenna tried to stare down her stepmother, but she couldn't hide the tears that started to fill her eyes.

Satisfied, the lady turned away. "Now, do clean this place up before you go to bed, dear. It's nothing short of a pigsty." And she flounced merrily to bed.

CinderJenna stood there for a moment, crushed. How could she take away all the happiness of tonight with just a few words? It wasn't fair.

She went out to the backyard, sitting in the grass.

For a few minutes, she just cried. She couldn't help it-she'd had all these dreams before her stepfamily walked through the door. She had dreamt of the Prince arriving on his Royal Carriage, asking after her. After seeing how she was treated, he would tell her stepfamily off, telling them how disappointed the Crown would be if they only knew. Maybe he'd take her away to the Palace, and allow her to live with the Royal Family. She'd spend her days reading, learning things, and exploring the gardens, all in the Prince's company, of course. And maybe, just maybe, he'd ask her-

She shook her head. Silly dreams and fantasies, that's all they were.

Still…

CinderJenna folded her hands. "Father…" She wasn't sure if she was talking to her earthly father or her Heavenly One. Maybe both. "I know that the "prince" thing is kinda out there, and maybe that won't happen. But, after tonight…I can't stay here. I just can't. I deserve better. I deserve to be loved. I found that out tonight…" She thought of the happy looks she got from the King ad Queen, as well as the adoring gaze of the Prince. "And that's what really matters….right?"

CinderJenna sighed, dropping her hands. "_**My dream came true…**_" She sang softly. "_**Away I flew…**_"

She touched the spot on her cheek again, and even now it still brought a tiny smile to her face. "_**But on my cheek he left a kiss. All my life I'll dream of this lovely, lovely night.**_"

And that was all she'd ever do. Because that's all tonight was.

"CinderJenna?"

She jumped. Angela was standing right there, as if she'd been there the whole time. She put a soothing hand on the girl's back. "If you want tonight to be more than a dream, than why don't you make it so?"

"How can I?" CinderJenna half-laughed and half-sobbed. "Have you seen me lately? I'm just a servant girl who can't even go to a ball without someone else's help."

"Everyone needs help sometimes," Angela pointed out. "And besides, do you really think the Prince fell in love with your pretty dress and glass shoes?"

CinderJenna shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."

Angela raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if you hadn't helped me-"

"You didn't need my help." Angela interrupted.

"Um, yeah, I did."

"Tell me, did I make your dress, get you a horse and carriage, hire a coachman and groom, do your hair, and personally glassblow your shoes?" Angela challenged.

"Well, no, but-"

"You wanna know something?" Angela smiled at her. "If you had gotten the initiative and courage on time, you would have found all those things by yourself."

"Yeah, right."

"You would have! I just gave you a push."

Angela put an arm around her. "Believe in yourself CinderJenna. And believe in God. If you can do that, the rest will work itself out."

* * *

><p><strong>Kinda ripped off <span>The Cat Returns<span> a little with that last line. Just kinda, though. Great movie if you haven't seen it, by the way. Very underrated. Cary Elwes as a classy cat and Anne Hathaway being amazing as usual, what more can you ask for?**

**Off track as usual. What's gonna happen next? Who knows? (Me. I know. I'm just not telling.)**

**Next chapter will have stuff! So, y'know. Look forward to that. Catch ya then!**


	20. Moping and Gut-Spilling

**Look at these monthly updates! It's kinda like check-ups! What'd you think I was gonna say?**

**Anyway, quick update for OTR readers first (do any of my OTR peeps read this? If you do, pass this along to the ones that don't for me, will ya please?), so if you don't read that story feel free to skip this paragraph. So it seems in this case technology has failed me, which means I'm going to have to retype those two chapters up again. For clarification, they were written on my iPod a long, long time ago, and I was planning on e-mailing them to myself so I could copy-paste them into Word. However, the notes are refusing to e-mail themselves, so I'm gonna have to transcribe them to Word manually. So it's gonna be a while, but I am working on doing that, so hang in there. It'll be worth it. I hope.**

**Alright, moving on to the current story, it's that time again! Not the time to make a cheese sandwich, or to search for Elvis at 7-11, or even for today's lesson, but for reviewer response!**

**FrittzyCrazy: Hey, don't do that! Both your metaphorical and your literal heart are important, you need them! You better clap them right back in, missy/mister (I don't like to assume)! But I very much appreciate the sentiment behind it. :)**

**Music Person: I'm there with ya on that, and glad you liked it that much! Timely Love Stories is great, ain't it? Whoa, Mr. Pincher? I am unclear. I'll fix that in just a moment. Anyway, I hope I live up to your expectation, dear person of music. *salute***

**acadia93: Thanks! :) Huh, good question. Well, the first part of my pen name is Tohru, so that'll work, I think. Simple, easy to remember.**

**Okay, so a couple of things before we get started. As Music Person pointed out, this story really could do with a cast list. I thought of putting one at the beginning when I started this, but I wanted the characters to be big reveals, y'know? That didn't work out as well as I'd hoped though, as people understandably are still confused about who's who, so let me break it down straight-up. I'll use their vegetable names to make it even clearer.**

**CinderJenna: Jenna**

**Prince Christopher: Bob**

**Lionel: Larry**

**Yasir: Khalil**

**Stepmother: Madame Blueberry**

**Minerva: Penelope ("Harold's" wife from **_**Lyle**_**)**

**Calliope: Mabel ("Olaf's" wife from **_**Lyle**_**)**

**King Maximillian: Archibald**

**Queen Constantina: Lovey**

**Angela: Petunia**

**Chuck Lavoro: Mr. Lunt**

**James: Junior Asparagus**

**Tom: Himself (Last appeared in **_**Grapes of Wrath**_**)**

**Rosie: Herself (Ditto for her)**

**Grandpa: Pa Grape**

**Layla: Laura Carrot**

**Capelli Brothers: The Scallions (that's why I only talk about them by height-they don't have names despite being around since Show One)**

**Vincent: Jimmy Gourd**

**Victor: Jerry Gourd**

**Hmm…I think that's everyone so far. If there's any I'm missing, let me know.**

**And one more thing. UGH GET ON WITH IT I know, but I should bring this up, too. Music Person also wrote me a PM asking if we would be seeing more of Jenna's life, and the answer is OF COURSE YOU WILL. I already have a whole slew of (half-finished) chapters on the behind the scenes of this episode alone, not to mention a basic plot of the next "episode" that's gonna get "filmed". So yeah, don't worry, we're not gonna be leaving Jenna and the gang for a while yet, I just wanted you guys to see the whole episode before we went behind-the-scenes featurette with it.**

**Okay, NOW we can start. It ain't much, but it's…a chapter.**

**Enjoy?**

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><p>"Oh, I hate cleanups!" The Queen moaned. "They're so boring…not to mention depressing."<p>

Everyone was cleaning up the ballroom from the previous night's festivities. Even the King and Queen were doing their fair share of work. All in the castle were present…except for one.

"Speaking of depressed, maybe we should take a break to talk to Chris." The King said as he threw a pile of streamers into the trash.

* * *

><p>The royal couple found their son on a balcony, staring at that peculiar shoe as if thinking deeply.<p>

"Chris, darling?" The Queen knocked.

His head shot up. "Oh! Hey Mom, Dad." His voice was a monotone.

"Chris, you really should come downstairs and help us." She rushed over to her son.

"Or come downstairs in general. You haven't come out of your room at all since last night." The King added.

Chris sighed. "I'm trying to think about how I can find her."

"This mystery girl, you mean?" The King asked.

"Chris, sweetheart, we've searched all over the kingdom, but there are so many girls that fit her description." She put both her hands on top of his. "You may have to accept the fact that you'll never find her."

Chris immediately stood up. "No! I'll find her! I…I have to." He went back to staring at the shoe.

"Is she really that important?" The King asked genuinely.

"I mean, all the girls last night were equally wonderful, darling." The Queen added.

"She's not like them," Chris said immediately, as if he'd prepared this speech months in advance. "She's different than anyone-male or female-that I've ever met. She's the only real friend I've ever had."

"Hey! Oh, I mean, uh…" They heard Lionel run away from the door.

Rolling his eyes, Chris continued. "I feel like I already know her, even though I know that's not possible."

"Christopher, honeycakes, how can you know that after one night?" The Queen put her hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know." He said softly, before turning around. "But I know it's true. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to find her again."

The parents looked at each other. After a moment, the King stepped forward.

"Well then, son…that's what you should do." He put both his hands on his son's shoulders. "Keep looking, Chris, for as long as it takes…and never give up."

Chris flashed his parents a grateful smile, before running out of the room.

"Lionel!" He called out.

"What was that noise?" Lionel looked around in feign shock. "I'm pretty sure I'm alone in here."

"Lionel…" Chris sighed.

"No, I'm sure I heard something." He continued to "search" the room. "It's almost as if it's the voice of someone who doesn't see me as a friend. Almost."

"Lionel, you know I didn't mean that. The only reason I said that was because you're more like family to me than just a friend." Chris apologized.

"Oh, Chris! Was that you makin' all that noise, buddy? " Lionel smiled at him.

Chris shoved him. "You're impossible."

He grinned "That's family for ya. Now, whaddya need?"

"See this?" Chris handed Lionel the shoe. "Careful with it." He added quickly.

Lionel looked at it. "Glass shoes? For a dancing party? I'll never understand high fashion."

"Look, that doesn't matter. Can you figure out what size it is?" Chris asked.

"Sure! Um…why, though?" Lionel looked the shoe over

"Because we're going to try this slipper on every woman in the kingdom with the same size shoe." His face was stone serious.

"Why would we do tha-OOOOOOH, this is your mystery lady's shoe, isn't it?" Lionel waggled his eyebrows.

"I wouldn't use that term, but yes." He sighed.

"Chris. You realize that there are going to be a lot of women with the same size shoe in the kingdom. This isn't exactly going to narrow it down much." He pointed out.

"It will narrow it down enough. Besides, I'll know her when I see her." Chris insisted.

"Are you-"

"Do as he says, Lionel."

Everyone was shocked to hear this come out of the Queen's mouth, even the King.

Lionel simply nodded. "Right away, Your Majesty." He hurried off.

Chris just stared at his mother.

"What? I can't feel a selfless compulsion towards my son's happiness?" The Queen responded to both her men's astonished looks.

In answer, Chris gave both his parents a tight group hug.

"Thank you both so much."

They hugged him back, smiling at him and each other.

"You and her would make such lovely children, besides-"

"MOTHER!" The Prince's face flushed as red as his hair.

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><p><strong>Oh, mothers and their need for grandchildren. Always a source of comedy.<strong>

**Anywho, stay tuned for a much more exciting chapter in the future!**


	21. Ladies, Locks, and Legging It

**Update's a tad late, and I apologize. My life has been most cray at the moment, but never fear! This chapter is here!**

**To the reviewer response! (DA-na-na-na-na-na-na-na DA-na-na-na-na-na-na-na DUN DUN!)**

**Music Person: Thank you so much! Glad I could help. Here's hoping you enjoy this chapter as well-it's certainly more action packed than the last one.**

**FrittzyCrazy: Oh, mothers. They just can't be patient, can they? Oh phew, good. I almost had a lawsuit on my hands there. I'm glad you liked it, and not just because it saved me from losing everything I own to the unforgiving machine of the judicial system. :) Well, I put off taking a shower for the few minutes it took me to write this Author's Note bit, edit the actual chapter, and post it. I guess that's kind of unsafe, but overall the update was both safe and soon, so hooray for success!**

**acadia93: Really? Yay! :D I will definitely be making more-I don't even know what to do with all the ideas for all the stories I want to do with these crazy characters. Eh, spelling has nothing to do with your character. I should know cause I had a hard time spelling "character" for a while. 'Why are there two A's?' I said. 'It doesn't make any sense!' I said. No one listened. I've typed the word "character" a lot in this response. Weird. Anyway, I'm working on…well, I wouldn't call it a "story" per se, but it is Larry/Petunia related, so look forward to that!**

**Alright. Now this chapter is…would this be the climax? I think it is, just the climax of the second act, I suppose. Anyway, junk's bout to get real.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>And so the proclamation was sent out. Any young woman with a shoe size of 6 should immediately report to the palace. Though it wasn't stated outright, everyone knew that the Prince was doing this to search for his lost princess. Thus, every woman in town was planning to attend, regardless of age or shoe size. CinderJenna's family was no exception.<p>

"Now, remember, girls, when you try the shoe on, be sure to squish those toes in," Lady Tremaine instructed her daughters. "If you do that, you can make your feet look like a size 6 with ease!"

"Ooo, I'm so excited!" Calliope squealed.

"I get to go first!" Minerva smirked.

"No, me!"

"Why should you go first?"

"Why should you?"

"I'm older!"

'Well, I'm prettier!"

"What did you say?"

The two started a catfight, to which their mother put a hand to her forehead.

Just then, CinderJenna came down the stairs, dressed and freshly washed. "Okay, I'm ready!"

Her stepmother turned to face her. "Ready? For what?"

"Well, I am a size six. It's a royal proclamation, I'm bound by law to go." CinderJenna was trying her hardest to contain her excitement. As soon as she heard the proclamation, she knew what it meant. The Prince had found her shoe and wanted to meet her! Her dreams were going to come true, after all!

Lady Tremaine's eyes widened. "Oh…right." She suddenly broke out into a smile. "Yes, I suppose you should trudge along. Before we go, though, CinderJenna, I'd like to wear my best hat. The problem is I dropped it in the cellar basement, and I can't walk downstairs in these shoes. Fetch it for me."

"Of course, Stepmother." She still couldn't help smiling-this was the last errand she'd ever have to do for her Stepmother!

CinderJenna ran to the cellar door, turned on the single light, then carefully made her way down the stairs. She circled the room many times, looking for the hat.

"Stepmother, I don't see it." She turned up to the doorway, where her stepmother loomed.

"Oh, what a shame. Well, I suppose I can do without it. Ta ta then!"

Before CinderJenna could blink, the door was slammed shut, and the lock turned with a resounding clunk.

"No!" CinderJenna ran up the stairs, pulling the door with all her strength. "No, no, NO! Stepmother, you can't do this! Let me out! LET ME OUT!"

Silence. She was gone.

CinderJenna slumped against the door, feeling her stomach drop. It was hopeless. Her stepmother had won. Again. This was even more hopeless than the ball situation.

"Angela!" She called out, but even then she knew it was pointless.

CinderJenna thought of her dreams again. How lovely it would be not to have back-breaking chores every single day. To be able to sleep in actual bed with an actual blanket or two instead of just a ratty mattress and the cleanest towel she could find. To not have aches and pains all over from long hours of work. And…to have a friend whom she could openly hang out with, who would never yell at her or order her around, and most importantly, loved and understood her from the inside out.

Was she really going to give all that up?

CinderJenna stood up. "No!" She said out loud. "Just sitting here lets her win! And I won't let her win anymore!"

With that settled, she looked at the door. She had no idea how to pick a lock, and didn't really want to waste time figuring it out.

Hadn't Yasir said something about locked doors? What was it, what was it?

"_Now, penniless buddy, I do not want you to think I am a criminal! I had gone two weeks without food, I was about to starve to death! So I snuck into this bakery to take the bread they did not need."_

"_Um, don't they lock their doors at night?"_

"_Oh, yes. But you see, it does not matter how good the locks on a door are, if you can take it off its hinges. They did notice that in the morning, though. Not the sneakiest way to go."_

The hinges! CinderJenna smiled, then quickly rummaged through the many shelves in the basement. After an exhaustive search, she finally found a dusty screwdriver.

Immediately, she set to work unscrewing the hinges.

Right as she got the first one off, she heard the door open. CinderJenna froze, trying to hold the door in its original position, praying her stepmother didn't notice.

"Yoo-hoo! Penniless buddy! Miss-Dances-with-prince!" He whistled. "Anyone here?"

Relief and joy washed over her. "Yasir! I'm in here!" She banged on the door with the screwdriver.

His footsteps came to the door. "What are you doing in there?"

"Stepmother locked me in, but I'm working on it. I've almost got the door off of its hinges."

"Ah, you are taking the Yasir approach! You know, good advice runs very deep in my family."

"Yasir, focus! We need to find a way to get to the palace!" She began unscrewing the second one.

"Can't we just borrow the carriage again?" He asked.

"Will it be fast enough?"

"Maybe?"

She popped the hinge off. "Got it!"

The door fell forward, followed by a high-pitched screech.

"Uh-oh." She lifted the door away to reveal Yasir, looking a little worse for wear. "Sorry! I didn't know that would happen."

"You definitely need more practice in the breaking-in field. Or breaking out, in your case." He brushed himself off.

"How long is the shoe thing gonna go?" CinderJenna asked quickly.

"Probably a while, but it says that everyone has to leave at 8."

CinderJenna looked at the clock. 7:15.

"Run!" She shouted, making sure to grab the other glass slipper before they bolted out the door.

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><p><strong>The race is on!<strong>

**The Doc Manager is saying this chapter is shorter than the last, and I still can't quite believe it. Maybe it's because this one's more action-y and more is packed into it, but it feels much longer. Oh well.**

**Catch ya in the next chapter!**


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